… appeals for support
Foropa, a fishing settlement along the Atlantic coastline in Southern Ijaw Local Government of Bayelsa State, has reported a ‘mystery’ oil spill that left the coastline polluted. Mystery spills refer to crude oil leaks from unknown sources where there are many oil firms operating near one another.
According to a January 8 notification letter signed by Pastor Olabai Olozulu, traditional ruler of Foropa, Middleton, the oil leak at the coastline was noticed on January 3. The letter was addressed to the Head of Bayelsa State Office of the National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.
The letter noted that six oil firms operate within Foropa vicinity in Southern Ijaw Local Government. The companies include First E&P, Conoil Exploration, NEPL, Shell and Nigdel United Oil Company.
The community urged the regulatory agency and other government organs to trace the source of the spill and mitigate its impact on the predominantly fishing settlement.
It also advised the oil firms to mobilise relief materials to reduce the sufferings of the people.
Head of NOSDRA in Bayelsa, Mr Chukwuemeka Iheanacho, confirmed that the agency was in receipt of the report and was planning a joint visit to the impacted site with all the oil companies operating in the area.
He said a ‘fingerprinting’ analysis of the crude samples from the site would reveal the operator whose facility discharged the crude into the environment.
“We are planning a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) by next Tuesday. I am writing to the operators within the area to send their representatives because samples will be collected for fingerprinting,” he said.
Chairman of Community Development Committee (CDC) at Foropa, Mr Darius Sese, who spoke Friday in a telephone conversation, noted that the incident had adversely impacted fishing activities in the area.
He said fishermen no longer made catches since the spill occurred, as fishes have migrated deeper into the Atlantic waters away from the coastline.
