Egwu: We must enforce international standards on oil spills

Prof. Sylvester Egwu is an oil spill specialist and organiser of the annual Oil Spill Conference Nigeria, holding on August 9th -10th in Lagos. In this interview with ADELOWO ADEBUMITI, he spoke on environmental degradation in the Niger Delta, Militancy and the attitude of oil majors in the region.

How severe is the situation of oil spill in the Niger Delta?
Oil spill has been a very serious issue in Nigeria. In the oil producing areas, severe environmental degradation and other disasters have occurred over the years since 1956 when oil was first discover in the Niger Delta. Since then, not much has been done to clean up the oil spill and more are occurring everyday. We have about 900 oil spill incidents annually in Nigeria and that is too much for a country.

It is also too much for the environment. There is a lot of impact on the environment, on the people and on the biosphere. In fact, the environment is almost being destroyed in the oil producing areas. That is the situation in the downstream oil sector. All stakeholders need to discuss this at a roundtable. That is why we are involved with passion and deep-seated concern for the environment. We need to protect and conserve it.

Where does the fault really lie?
To a large extent, we cannot say that there are culprits or no culprits. Oil spill occurs when you spill oil on water or land. When it happens, it could be caused by several factors such as equipment failure, sabotage, and human error. There are other causes like pipeline leaks. This could be caused by corrosion, by weakness of the pipe or by intentional breaking of the pipe. That is what we call pipeline vandalism.
Now, as it is today, no matter the cause, we need to clean the oil because oil is very toxic. The impact of these spills is great. To clean one potion of Ogoniland will take about 30 years, so to clean the whole oil producing areas, only God knows how many years it will take. That is why we shouldn’t allow oil to ever drop on the environment.

What can be done to ensure that?
We have the agencies of government that are to ensure best practices are maintained. But I don’t think we have enough control, enough supervision. Most of the oil companies that allow oil spill in their operations know very well that they are not abiding by prescribed international standard in Nigeria. And Government is not compelling them to make sure that the spills are cleaned.

For instance, in America, if you spill one barrel of oil, you are sanctioned about $1,000 per barrel. But here, there is no such regulation to promote best practice. The oil companies here do not care for regulations in the absence of such sanctions. So what Nigeria needs to do is to take the international standard for punishment for oil companies. We also need to ensure that they maintain internal control in their operations.

The Federal Government has flagged off the cleanup of Ogoniland, What is your assessment of the exercise?
We had a conference last year; the communiqué was titled “Clean all Oil Spills Now”. We are happy that this year conference, which is the fifth edition, is building up steam, and is going to yield result.

Right now, we are happy to know that the Federal Government has started plans to clean Ogoniland. The launch, which was based on UNEP report, is a way forward in solving the myriads of problems associated with environmental degradation. It is heartening now that the government has taken cognizance of it, and is taking care of it. Resource control is another aspect. So if they clean up Ogoniland, that will be positive step in addressing the Niger Delta issue. So in this conference, we are going to take appraisal of this new initiative and we are going to support government in such efforts. If Niger Deltans truly benefit from such initiatives, the people are going to be happy and this can in turn increase the revenue base of government.

What is the focus of this year’s Oil Spill Conference Nigeria?
Our plan is to sensitize public and oil stakeholders on the dangers posed by oil spills in Nigeria. Oil is toxic in nature. It can cause various diseases, including cancer, rashes, and leukemia in children. Another one is fire disaster. So we want to use this conference to promote UN sustainable goals on the environment, discuss the issues and proffer solutions. We want to use this opportunity to stimulate desire for scientific knowledge, technology and research. We want to make sure that we internalize in Nigerians, the consciousness for protection and preservation of the environment.

When is the Conference going to hold?
The conference will hold between August 9th -10th, 2016 at the Eko Hotels and Suites in Lagos. This conference is also an exhibition/award. We have noted in the past that we have not been working together with oil companies. Now, we have changed our procedures. Last year we gave awards to deserving oil companies that operate with great caution, safety and a human face. This year, we are considering recognising two companies – an international oil company and an indigenous one. This will encourage them to perform better. Restoring corporate social responsibility and harmony to communities. This will also help communities to check vandalism.

Who are those expected to participate in the conference?
We expect a broad spectrum of people from the maritime, oil and gas industry, government at all levels, and representatives of public port authorities. We also want to get scientists, engineers, even researchers will be a part of it. It is going to be a big event for scholars, foreign and indigenous oil companies, and for all those who have stake in oil and gas, including pipelines engineers, and companies producing pipes.

What should Nigerians expect from the conference?
Just as we did last year, when we asked the government to clean the entire oil spill now, we will send the reports and recommendations after the conference to the government for action to be taken.