• Group alerts agency, Shell on fresh oil spill in Bayelsa
The National Oil Spill Detection Response Agency (NOSDRA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with an Indigenous firm, F1 Team, to check and mobilise communities when there are cases of the oil spills in the Niger Delta region.

Speaking at the ceremony in Abuja, its Director-General, Chukwuemeka Woke, promised the firm that they would implement the MoU 100 per cent.

He noted that the MoU is a major milestone as far as the agency is concerned, considering that it is the heartbeat of people in the region.

Woke also called on critical stakeholders in the oil and gas industry to cooperate with the duo, as they are not going out of their mandate, especially the multinational companies operating in Nigeria so that there will be no delay when an oil spill occurs.

He declared: “We will take urgent action in accordance with the Act establishing the agency and will aggressively cooperate with stakeholders in communication with the communities and, consulting groups to have a clean environment.”

Earlier, a Consultant, Jude Ndibisi, commended Woke for thinking outside the box, calling for understanding in the deal and the activation of provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) on oil spills in the region.

He stressed that they would want the communities to own an oil spill contingency plan by making them aware of their responsibility and that of NOSDRA, saying that it should not be based in Abuja but with the people of the region.

“Simply signing MoU with the agency is now what we’ve tried to do in the past. We’re trying to institutionalise the national or skill contingency plan and bring it down to the community.  We want the national hotspot contingency plan to be the primary document that talks about our spirit response strategy,” he concluded.

MEANWHILE, the Environmental Defenders Network (EDEN) has called the attention of the National Oil Spill Detection and Remediation Agency (NOSDRA) and Shell to a crude oil spill from a Shell pipeline along Obololi Creek in the Southern Ijaw Local Council of Bayelsa State.

The current oil spill reportedly occurred on Sunday night, February 16.  It is said to be the very first spill on the community river, which is the people’s only source of water.

Pipelines belonging to Oando and Shell traverse the Obololi Community. According to community folks, Shell laid this pipeline in 1973 and has not replaced it since then.