After decades of unanswered complaints, Akwa Ibom communities learn to document oil pollution

Residents from some communities where oil was drilled and capped in Ikono and Ibiono Ibom Local Government Areas say decades of complaints about oil pollution from abandoned oil wells have yielded little action; thus, they are now learning how to document environmental damage and build evidence to demand accountability from oil companies and government regulators.

At a one-day Monitoring and Evidence Gathering Training organised by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) at Ikot Esenye Nkwot, Ikono Local Government Area, on Thursday, traditional rulers, women leaders, youths and farmers from Ikono and Ibiono Ibom LGAs were trained to monitor environmental pollution, gather evidence and report incidents in their communities.

Residents said the training is an attempt to move beyond years of complaints about pollution linked to oil wells drilled and capped by the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in the 1950s.

Nearly seven decades after the company reportedly abandoned the wells because they were commercially unviable, residents say crude oil continues to seep into farmlands and water bodies, destroying livelihoods and raising concerns about their safety.

Friday, John, the village council chairman of Ntan Mbat in Ibiono Ibom LGA, said residents had previously lacked the knowledge to respond to oil pollution incidents.

“When oil pollution occurs, when oil comes out from the ground, it is something we did not understand. This foundation came and enlightened us on what to do,” he said.

Mr John said the community would now organise to document and report incidents of pollution.

He said that crude oil was emerging from the ground in large quantities despite the absence of pipelines or recent drilling activities, making some locations unsafe for farming.

“There is no pipeline, nobody has drilled anything new there, but we still see oil come out from the ground and many of us are afraid to go to that place to farm. That is the difficulty we are going through,” he said.

He said the oil had been present in the community before he was born.

“That oil has been coming out from there for a long time before I was born. I am just 32 years old, but the oil has been coming out there before my birth,” he said.

According to him, the people who first explored for oil in the area were locally known as “Mbakara USA”. They reportedly built a large house in the community, lived there and planted markers identifying locations where they had discovered oil.

Decades of complaints

The latest concerns are part of a longstanding dispute over the environmental consequences of oil exploration in Ikono and Ibiono Ibom.

In September, PREMIUM TIMES reported that residents of the two local government areas had demanded urgent assessment, remediation and protection of abandoned oil wells and other ageing petroleum infrastructure, citing pollution, declining agricultural yields, damaged ecosystems and alleged illegal activities around the facilities.

At the time, residents told this newspaper that they had repeatedly complained to Shell and regulatory authorities without receiving satisfactory responses.

PREMIUM TIMES sighted a document dated 2002 and addressed to Shell’s Lands and Legal Department in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Titled “Environmental and Health Effects of Abandoned SPDC Exploration/Drilling Locations at Ikot Udo Enang and Catchment Sedimentary Basin (OML 12, 1958–2002)”, the document was submitted by the Executive Council of Ikot Udo Enang Village, Ediene Clan, alongside Uyo Afaha Nkan Village and the Engineering and Technical Services Committee of Ndiya Youth Progressive Union.

The document detailed the communities’ complaints about environmental and health effects allegedly linked to abandoned exploration and drilling sites and called for remediation.

The residents’ concerns also have a legal dimension.

HOMEF has called for enforcement of a 2013 Court of Appeal decision in Eteidung Raymond F. Obot and others v. Shell Petroleum Development Company Nigeria Limited (CA/C/70/2011), which the organisation says allowed environmental claims dating from 2006 onward to proceed.

The organisation says outstanding issues relating to the abandoned Ikono 1 oil well, including environmental remediation and compensation, remain unresolved.

Abandoned wells, disappearing livelihoods

During Thursday’s training, residents described how the alleged pollution affected agriculture, fishing, water sources, and other aspects of community life.

Bassey Henry of Uyo Afaha Nkan Village, Ediene Clan in Ikono, said the impact was evident in declining crop yields, damaged economic trees and the disappearance of some animal species.

He said palm trees had stopped producing fruit as they once did.

“Crops such as cocoyam, cassava and yam often withered in the ground before harvest, while okra and other vegetables cannot have good yields in the area,” he said.

“Millipedes, snails and fish have gone extinct because of the effect of this pollution on our environment,” he added.

Rose Ita of Ntan Mbat also expressed concern about crude oil allegedly flowing into farmlands and water bodies long after the wells were capped.

She said the situation raised concerns about the safety of water sources, food production and the health of residents.

Another resident, Namonso Nya, called on Shell to compensate affected communities, saying the pollution had undermined farming and other livelihoods.

“Villagers in these communities where these corked well heads are, are suffering. Go to these communities; nothing grows again. SPDC should come in and compensate the people,” he said.

The environmental concerns extend beyond the immediate effects on farming and fishing.

During its earlier field assessment, HOMEF identified abandoned oil installations and other ageing petroleum infrastructure across several communities in the two local government areas.

The assessment identified a standing wellhead, popularly known as a “Christmas Tree”, at Ikot Enua in Ikono, which residents said was discovered and capped in 1958.

‘Abandoned wells are ticking time bombs’

Speaking at Thursday’s training, HOMEF Executive Director Nnimmo Bassey described abandoned oil wells in the Niger Delta as “ticking time bombs” that could continue to threaten the environment, public health and livelihoods long after oil companies stopped commercial operations.

He said abandoning an oil well did not automatically end the operator’s environmental responsibilities.

“An oil company may stop producing from a well, but that does not mean its environmental responsibility disappears,” he said.

“An abandoned well remains dangerous infrastructure. It can deteriorate, it can be infiltrated, and it can pose environmental and safety risks. That is why abandoned oil wells require proper assessment, monitoring and decommissioning.”

Mr Bassey said communities living around petroleum facilities needed access to information about the condition of the infrastructure, the nature of pollution and possible health risks.

“What has been spilled? What chemicals are present? Is the water safe? What are the health risks? Who is responsible? And what is being done about it?” he asked.

He said environmental decisions should not be made without the participation of communities that bear the consequences of oil exploration.

The HOMEF director stressed that environmental justice required more than cleaning up after pollution.

He said it also involved prevention, continuous monitoring, compensation, transparent information, community participation and the proper decommissioning of oil infrastructure that was no longer in use.

“Where oil infrastructure is no longer in use, it requires proper decommissioning and dismantling. Where pollution has occurred, there must be remediation and restoration. Destructive extractivism in the Niger Delta must stop,” he said.

Remediation, compensation demanded

HOMEF called on the Federal Government, Shell, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission and the Akwa Ibom State Government to address outstanding concerns relating to the abandoned Ikono 1 oil well.

The organisation specifically demanded environmental remediation, compensation for affected residents and restoration of damaged livelihoods.

It also called for proper assessment and decommissioning of abandoned oil wells and other hazardous infrastructure in Ikono and Ibiono Ibom, comprehensive cleanup of polluted farmlands, streams and wetlands, and investigation of reported health concerns.

The organisation further demanded long-term environmental monitoring and meaningful participation of affected communities in decisions concerning the abandoned facilities.

It said affected farmers, fishers and other residents should receive compensation for losses involving farmland, crops, economic trees, fishing grounds, property and other sources of livelihood.