Pollution: 60 Bayelsa Towns Present Spillage Evidence to Probe Panel

The Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission (BSOEC) set up to investigate the level of devastation by the exploration of oil in the state on Monday said it had received spillage evidence from at least 60 communities and groups in the state.

The 10-man panel is headed Archbishop of York, Dr. John Sentamu, and was inaugurated by the state Governor, Seriake Dickson, in March this year.

Archbishop Sentamu, in his remarks, decried the lack of political will on the part of the Nigerian Government in addressing the environmental devastation in the Niger Delta region, saying the time had come for total cleansing and remediation of the affected communities.

"Change must happen even though the laws have not been effective and the issue of compensation has not been addressed. In some communities we visited, it looked like a bomb had been dropped but it was oil spillage.

"The rest of the international community cannot just turn a blind eye on this. The pollution that has gone on in this particular state has affected the global village," he said.

The cleric, however, urged the community leaders to continue to be resilient in the midst of their challenges, adding that the commission under his leadership would make the right recommendations to the Bayelsa State Government.

The panel rounded off the second round of its fact-finding investigative assignment yesterday during which it held roundtable sessions with non-governmental organisations and health experts.

It also held a public evidence session during which communities gave oral evidence of devastation and neglect by oil companies operating in their areas before submitting documented reports to the panel.

The traditional ruler of Agudama community, MC Kipasa, told the commission that they had recorded several oil spills from the operations of both Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and the Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC), which have seriously affected his community.

"We don't have fish in our river anymore. Even our land for farming is gone. Nothing is left for us due to these oil spills," he lamented, just as he thanked Governor Dickson for giving them hope by setting up the commission.

An Agbura community leader, Chief Igwe Napoleon, while giving evidence, said the farmlands and river in his community have been polluted due to oil exploration activities, and accused Shell of reneging on the terms of agreement signed with communities in the area.

 Others who spoke were Chief Shagari Edward of Ogbotobo Community; Ojoto ThankGod of Agbayama Community; Chief DSP Ikporo of Koluama community and Dr. Awoli Anapurere, who is the Public Relations Officer of the Oil and Gas Producing Areas Enlightenment and Empowerment Initiative.