Oil Spill Hits Bayelsa Communities

From Amos Odeh, Yenagoa

An oil spill has occurred along Jalingo settlement near Nembe Creek in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
Fishermen in the area reported that the spill which began last night from a facility operated by the Shell Petroleum Development Company is spreading to the river, contaminating the environment.
Chairman of the Oil and Gas and Action Committees of Nembe Kingdom, Chief Nengi James, called on the SPDC to swing into action to contain and clean up the spill.
Residents of the settlement also urged the Bayelsa State Government, the federal authorities and other relevant agencies to come to their aid by promptly addressing the situation.
Meanwhile, the Agge and Ogbeitu Oil producing communities of Ekeremor Local government Area of Bayelsa state has described the regular people parliament organised by SPDC as a panacea to creating peaceful relationship between the oil companies and their host communities who always bear the consequences of oil exploration and exploitation.
Speaking with journalists in Yenagoa, the president of Kou Youth Development Front, Chief Ekemeswode Peters tasked the management of SPDC on myriad of demands that would engender peaceful co-existence.
According to Chief Peters who is also an opinion leader, what the communities of the EA Field wanted is running contracts in Vessel Supplies and not call-off contracts which do not last. They also demanded opening up employments for the Petroleum Training Institute trainees.
He posited that they expected what obtains in “Eagle Vessel ” a facility operated by SPDC operating in Ogulaha – Forcados where the PTI trainees where offered permanent employment to be similarly extended to the EA Fields in Kou Communities because what is good for the goose is good for gander.” Since SPDC started operation in the EA Field in 1958, no Kou indigenes has been employed by SPDC” he regretted .
The Kou Communities of the EA Field also called on SPDC Management to pay up their outstanding tranches of EA Cluster Funds. “The excuse of no cash given by SPDC that the Federal Government is indebted to MNCs ,while SPDC pay taxes to the Federal Government without the GMOU Funds will no longer be accepted,” he contended .
He further averred that peace and tranquillity that exist in the EA Field should not be taken for granted as they know the contributions of the EA Field to the economy of Nigeria and urged the management of SPDC to address some observed anomalies on some Kou off -shore where the host communities were denied contracts and employment opportunities at the Ramos- Forcados crude oil loading platforms.