By: Felix Ikpotor
Following the multiple oil spills from the Trans Niger Pipeline which has rocked Bodo community in Gokana local council of Rivers State in the last one month, youths of the area now demanding that each member of the community be paid forty million naira, be placed on monthly salary, employment and scholarships from the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, operators of the pipeline.
Recall that SPDC had confirmed one of the spills was due to equipment failure, while a joint investigative visit is yet to be conducted on two spills.
The youths are also demanding for relief materials, remediation amongst others as compensation for the spill, which according to them has impacted their farmlands, crops, houses and well water and rendered many homeless.
President of Bodo Youths Congress, Mr. Nyieodah Behbari who confirmed the demands said that the youths have denied the company access to fix the spill, by barricading the spill site, until their demands are met.
He said they will resist any attempt by the Dutch company to use security agencies to forcefully enter the spill site, saying that in 2020 Shell absconded from responsibility after clamping down a similar spill, without compensating the community.
The youth leader warned that failure of Shell to heed to their demands after 14days, the community will take up legal proceeding against the Dutch firm in order to ensure that justice is prevailed.
Some of their demands include, “an individual compensation to the citizenry of Bodo City to the tune of N40million each. That Shell should replace their aged pipeline in Bodo City and its environment.
“That an international standard skill acquisition center, an ICT center be build and made functional in Bodo. That the Bodo Youths be given scholarship, employment and the required training in oil and gas.
“That Shell should build a standard and world class hospital in Bodo City to tackle the health challenges on the people from the oil spills. That electricity (gas turbine) be buit in Bodo City.
“Shell should place Bodo citizen on monthly salary. Potable drinking water should be provided to the Bodo people without delay as our present source ot drinking water is contaminated.”
Similarly, the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre, YEAC-Nigeria, has lamented that the multiple spill incidents in Bodo which occurred on the 2nd, 24th and 30th of August, have released lots of crude into the environment.
Also speaking on the incident, Executive Director of YEAC-Nigeria, Mr. Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, said that the August 30th oil spills which occurred in the middle of the community, has a mixture of water, crude oil and chemicals oozing into the environment.
“The crude oil spill is in the middle of the community, and it is coming from the ground, although the JIV is yet to be conducted, but I don’t think anyone will carry out a sabotage in the middle of the community.
“Recall that even Shell confirmed that the oil spill of August 2nd was caused by equipment failure, so I’m certain that these other ones are also not caused by sabotage. Shell’s pipelines are obsolete, most of their pipes were laid in the late 1950s.
“The community youths are keepping watch on the spill site, they have cordoned off the area and accused their paramount ruler and chiefs of being influenced, therefore they want Shell to deal directly with them and not through paramount ruler or chiefs.
“Houses and farmlands are impacted. I urged Shell to take steps to discuss with the community and clean up the spill sites. If they fail to address the spill now, it will become a bigger problem to the federal government in the near future.”
However, the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited has said that the company was working with the community and regulators to gain access to the site for investigation.
A spokesperson for SPDC, Mr. Michael Adande, maintained that the Trans Niger Pipeline has been inoperative since June 2022
“We continue to work with regulators and local community to enable access to the site to investigate the reported incident. The TNP is undergoing tests with water main flushing after injections stopped in mid-June 2022 owing to constant breaches by crude oil thieves.”
