Foundation Trains Oil Community Residents on Environmental Monitoring in Bayelsa

Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa

The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), an environmental rights group, yesterday trained no few than 60 residents of an oil-bearing community in Bayelsa State.

Speaking to the volunteers during the training in Ikarama community, Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state, the Executive Director of HOMEF, Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, said the training was very vital to oil-bearing communities because a safe environment is fundamental to supporting lives and livelihoods.

He said there was the need for people who resided near oil and gas fields to remain vigilant in conserving the environment.

Bassey advised that they should also ensure that the economic interests of investors do not threaten the environment or their own well-being.

He said the training became necessary as there was the need to raise volunteers who would defend the ecosystem from degradation and pollution.

The executive director said Ikarama community, where oil was first discovered in 1964, is the worst hit when it comes to oil spill in the Niger Delta region.

During a site inspection of an oil spill site, a land where a youth leader of the community wanted to use for his for fish farming, oil was found to be oozing out from the ground.

According to him, “A community youth invested resources to excavate his farm for fish farming only to find out that oil was coming out from the ground.

“He did this last year and this year, and it is shocking that the level of degradation has not driven the polluters to take action immediately.

“We heard that Shell has come here to take samples, but up till now, we have not had that the result is been released. We want to be sure that the result should be released as they are ready.

“The Ministry of Environment and the NOSDRA should be involved too.”

He recommended a proper clean-up for all oil bearing communities that have been affected badly in oil-spill cases in the Niger Delta region.

Also speaking, Mr. Alagoa Morris, an environmentalist, said monitoring the environment demands factual and evidence-based data collection, recording and reporting.

He called on Shell and other oil companies to be proactive when such happens for the safety of the rural dwellers and the aquatic lives that the people depend on.

On his part, Mr. Benjamin Enebiri, the owner of the fish farm where oil was discovered  from the ground, expressed sadness over the situation, calling on shell to do the needful.

He said he invested over N600, 000 to hire excavator to dig the pond, and unfortunately, all has become waste resources for him and his family.