My Neighborhood Watch #87 - Reporting Events Around us

Protesters at shell oil facility in ogale community

OGALE COMMUNITY WEAR BLACK, CRY TO PROTEST AGAINST ENVIRINMENTAL DAMAGE FROM OIL SPILL IN THEIR COMMUNITY

INTRODUCTION

Oil has become a global commodity since ever discovered. In communities where the commodity is explored, the host communities have become desolate. Their means of livelihood like farms and fisheries in seas and oceans has been poluted by oil exploration there.

Over the years, there has been reports of envirinmental damages caused by the oil spills from the activities of companies engaged in the production of oil. Most of the companies in the oil production business are multinationals exploring oil in different communities. They have generated huge revenue for the government and maximum profits for themselves. With all these, they have neglected the damges they have done to their host communities.

Today, one of the communities is crying out to the world against the companies negligence about the damages done to their environment.

OIL EXPLORATION CAUSES ENVIRONMENTAL POLUTION

Protesters at shell oil facility in ogale community

The exploration and production of oil in Nigeria started in the niger delta part of Nigeria in 1950s. This came with a lot of challenhes as oil production was halted for some time because of the public unrest in the host communities.

Due to the operations of the oil companies, farmlands and fish habitats which serves as a means of livelihood is been damaged. The oil producing community decides to take their Protest against this ugly situation. They carry placards boldly written with the message "Shell Clean Up Your Mess." Shell is the multinational oil giant producing oil from the community. The people walked around that environment to make known their grievances. Their demand is that Shell should takes immediate action to clean up the spill and to bring their environment to normal so that could resume their farming and fishing activities.

The damages are as a result of the following:

• Lack of pipeline facility maimtainanace

• Lack of adequate security of oil facilities and host communities

• Inceasant pipline vandalism

• Unemployment ravaging the ever increasing youth in the community

These factors has contributed havily to the hardship that the host communities of these oil companies suffers.

THE NEED TO CLEAN-UP THE ENVORONMENTAL POLUTION CAUSED BY OIL SPILAGE

Protesters at shell oil facility in ogale community

It is very sad to note that the spilage from oil production in this community have caused severe economic hardship to them. The people from this community can nolonger go to their farmlands to plant crops. Even their waters is poluted so can not fish from their waters. Infact, life is becoming so hard for them as their sources of livelihood is damaged by the oil spills. This cryout by the people of this community has continued for a long time. The oil companies and the government has done little or nothing to ameliorate the sufferings they have caused to the people. Their environment is now totally damaged by the activities of the oil exploring companies in the community.

The oil companies and the government should as a matter of urgency, do the following to save this community from further damage to their environment:

• Carry out environmental impact assessment on communities affected by the oil spillage.

• Pay adequate compensation to the affected communities

• Absorb the youth to gain employment in the oil company

• Ensure maximum security of oil facilities so as to stop vandalism

• Conduct regular maintainance of oil facilities to avert possible spillage.

Protesters at shell oil facility in ogale community

ON ITS RESPONSE

The oil company said the oil spill took place on the 5th of February, during which what they call “a saver pit," overflowed when they were carrying out their flushing activities. The company is saying that they notified the community about the spill and is making arrangements for a combined team visit to the area so as to ascertain the cause and the impact the spill has on the community.

But the community is not happy with this response as they are saying that the oil giant should immediately take action to address the damage they have caused the community.

This is how we are losing our precious environment to oil spills. The communities where the oil is extracted, are just shadows of itselves as they are abandoned.

Protesters at shell oil facility in ogale community

The oil companies are making huge amount of money from the crude oil sales. Yet the host communities where the oil comes from, are given nothing after making their environment inhabitable.

I invite:
@caringmanasseh
@tempestinyang
@saikat01