Oil Spill: Civil Rights Coalition Writes Tinubu, NNPCL, Demands N5bn Compensation, Termination Of Operational License Of Neconde

Coalition of Civil Society Groups in Delta State, the Ijaw People's Development Initiative (IPDI) led by Comrade Ozobo Austin and Organisations for Human and Peoples Rights Protection and Humanitarian , (OHPRPH), led by Comrade Ezekiel Kagbala has written an open letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and group managing director of NNPCL, Mele Kyari, urging them to revoke Neconde Oil company's operational license due to its alleged neglect of host communities and failure to clean up oil spills in Ijaw communities, specifically in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State.

In the letter which a copy of it was sent to newsmen in Warri, Delta State, the groups demanded N5billion naira only as compensation from Neconde for host communities for negligence and deliberately allowing its spill to lick out continuously, spreading, polluting and devastating the waterways, the entire environment and causing total destruction of the livelihood of host communities for six days without intervention or response.

However, Neconde Energy Limited is an indigenous oil and gas exploration and production company operating in Nigeria, particularly in the Niger Delta region. It has a joint venture with the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) in OML 42, with a current production average of 50,000 barrels per day and other oil fields.

The groups maintained that the Neconde Oil spills have devastated the riverine environment of Delta State, affecting the livelihoods of locals who depend on fishing and farming.

In the letter, the groups said Neconde had allegedly failed to provide adequate compensation and support to the affected host communities despite the incessant spill cases emanating from the daily operations of the company.

Meanwhile, the coalition is demanding the revocation of Neconde's operational license and termination of business agreements with NPDC due to their alleged non-compliance with environmental and social regulations.

The groups' letter was also copied to the National Assembly, National Security Adviser to the President, and the Governor of Delta State, RT.Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, highlighting the urgency and severity of the issue.

The environmental rights activists lamented that Neconde refused to stop and clean up oil spill ravaging the local communities being caused by its facilities in Odi and surrounding communities in Warri South West Local government area of Delta State for six days ago at the time of filing this report.

Stating further, the coalition noted that Neconde alleged non-compliance with environmental and social regulations have caused total damage to the ecosystem of the Ijaw environments in Delta state.

The groups accused NOSDRA Zonal head in Warri office, Delta State of conniving, citing that the current head in the Warri office is not responsible and should not be allowed to continue in the office. 

The letter reads, "We respectfully write this open letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and group managing director of NNPCL, Abbar Kyari, demanding that the operational license of Neconde Oil company should be revoked due to neglect of host communities and failure to clean up oil spills in Ijaw communities, specifically in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State.

"Mr president, it will interest you to know that Neconde over the years failed to comply with environmental and social regulations in its operational areas, this encompasses enslavement and underpayment of community casual staff.

"We wish to state unequivocally that Neconde company operators are heartless, it could abandon a spill to lick out, spread and ravage the entire environment and waterways for days or weeks before attending to it after much outcry from communities and civil society organisations.

"Mr President, the occupation of Ijaw People is mainly fishing, and subsistence farming. Our environment has been completely polluted and destroyed by constant oil spills. The livelihood of our people has been damaged. Our mothers are used to training their children at university through incomes from the fishing occupation but the reverse is the case today, because of the negligence of Neconde and others causing destruction in our environment, fishing and farming occupations in our environment have gone extinct.

"The world should know by this open letter that our environments are not safe for habitation. This charlatan attitude of Neconde and others has sent many locals to early graves through terminal diseases caused by constant oil pollution in our environment, inhaling of carbon dioxide and other pollutants daily.

"Mr president, we need environmental justice, the destruction of our environment has made our youths jobless, communities underdeveloped and causing great hunger among locals in such Neconde operational areas. Neconde only cares about making huge profits and not concerned about the welfare of the host communities. It provides no health care, no social services and periodic maintenance of its facilities. 

"However, we must be reminded that these oppressive and charlatan attitudes of Oil multinationals were the top causes of the Niger Delta agitations and call for emancipation and we saw how it escalated, leading to bombing of our facilities and shutting down oil operations in the region. Mr. President, I don't think the country would want to undergo such horrible experiences. Therefore, it is our appeal that you adhere to our demands in a view of providing environmental justice for our people in Neconde operational areas in immediate effect," the letter added.