MOSOP seeks evacuation of residents from oil-polluted communities

•Homes, farmlands destroyed

Movement for Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) has reported massive oil spills from a Shell facility, which has polluted many parts of Ogoni land, calling on government agencies to urgently evacuate residents of the area.

The association enumerated affected communities as follows: Ogale, Aleto, Agbonchia, Onne, Okpaku, Alesa, all in Eleme Council of Rivers State, saying the oil is still spreading and destroying houses, farmlands and surrounding water.

Its President, Fegalo Nsuke, in a statement, made available to The Guardian, stated that Shell Petroleum Development Company Nigeria Limited, owners of the pipelines was yet to stop the spill, which might likely affect more communities beyond Ogoni.

Nsuke revealed that the multinational oil giant had secretly been operating its facilities in the area, adding: “If Shell claims it is not operating the oilfields secretly, how come such massive oil spills. They are testament of sub-standards in operations management.”

The MOSOP leader further noted that by now Shell should have decommissioned its facilities in Ogoni, going by recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme on the cleanup, which Shell and the Federal Government claim to have been implementing since 2016.

He, therefore, regret that there had been much insincerity on the part of Shell in the handling and manipulation of its facilities in the region, urging the Federal Government to introduce more stringent penalties for oil spill cases and environmental pollution.

Nsuke said: “Environment pollution has been encouraged in Nigeria, because there are little or no consequences for polluters. This is an issue that government should strongly consider in the light of current realities where people’s lives are altered by constant pollution, and no one is held to account.”

Also speaking, Coordinator, MOSOP in Eleme Kingdom, Wale Emereonwi, said properties and sources of livelihood have been completely destroyed, calling for immediate intervention to bring the spill to a halt and address the displacement issues created by the spillage.