Oil spills sack farmers, fishermen …
Oil companies instigate communal crisis
By Promise Uzoma Okoro,Umuahia
Owaza Residents of Oil Bearing Community among them Igiriukwu,Umudobia,Isiriukwu Communities have complained of high mortality rate, loss of means of livelihood and bizarre earth tremors caused by despoliation of their environment by the activities of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria(SPDC).
Some of their leaders who spoke to PUO REPORTS, said the Oil company have damaged their environment and left them poorer than they met them with no electricity, water and good roads to assuage their regrettable plight.
Shell Only Turned Our Youths To Grass Cutters -Isiriukwu Ruler
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| Eze Jonathan Ezere |
Paramount ruler of Kalaba community in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state, His Highness, Eze J.O Ezere, bemoaned in an interview:
“The Good and Bad of the Host community is seen as you come,Shell Petroleum Company have been here since 1958,you can see how developed our community is,no development at all.
“In terms of employment we have gotten nothing,no Owaza Son is a Contractor to Shell,they only turned our Youths to Grass Cutters”.
“Time without numbers,we have experienced damaging of our Farm Lands caused by SHELL
“We need SHELL to engage our Youths,we need Light and we are appealing to the Government to come to our aide so this Company can take care of their host Community”
Shell Have Occupied all the places we suppose to Farm and Get Money – Isiotiti Ruler
His Royal Highness Christian Ikemfula Ukegbu,Eze Ozuruoha 2 of Isiotiti said the people of his community now live in Abject Poverty because Shell have occupied places they ought to Farm and get Money
“Since this oil company came into this Company,they have done nothing,you can see the state of the bad roads in our Community,they have occupied all the places we ought to farm to get Money.
“They just employed outsiders to come and work in their company here in our community,we have many graduates,they are all at home,no work,but we do see other graduates coming to our Community to Work”
“We are calling on the Government to come to our Help because When we moved calling on Shell ,they will just hire Soldiers to Fight Us,if not Owaza People are peaceful People,something bad would have happend” He Said
We Have Not Benefited anything From Shell Despite our Peaceful Disposition – Umudobia Ruler
Paramount ruler of Of Umudobia Community Eze Young Ogbonna said the People of Owaza are noth benefiting anything from Shell Despite their Peaceful Disposition.
“Even a Layman will be able to know that the air has been Polluted,the sinc,if you roof your house,it may not last long,the ecosystem in Owaza Community is gone”
“In as much as we are not into militancy,the Government should prevail on these Oil Companies to do something for this Community” He Said
The Only Secondary School in Owaza Community was built through Community effort until the Intervention of Abia State Oil Producing Area Development Commission
Air, river, environment polluted – Chief Sam Nwogu community leader
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| Chief Sam Nwogu |
A Former Commisioner in Abia State and the immediate past of NDDC Board Representing Abia Sand a respected community leader, Chief Sam Nwogu, said apart from the land and water pollution, the air too has been polluted, which makes the people breathe in toxic air that affects the life span and life expectancy of locals in the communities.
He said: “The pains of being an oil- bearing community are much, from pollution of rivers and farm lands to communal crises, you can name them. For me, I think that the environment and health aspect is very disheartening. The multinationals and governments have failed in providing amenities to cushion the effects of the impact on the people. Specialist hospitals and potable water ought to be provided, but the people still depend on the polluted waters for their daily living, yet they produce the wealth used to feed other people. “Before now, our environment and rivers were rich in sea foods, crayfish, lobsters and periwinkle; we do not toil before getting fishes unlike these days when it is difficult because of oil activities. Most of our sea foods have gone extinct. Low life expectancy and diseases are now common features of oil producing communities in the Niger Delta.”
“SHELL came into this community immediately after Olobiri in 1958 and started exploring Oil,they built Imo River which is the Highest Oil on Land,Imo Rivers has over 80 Oil Wells and Produce almost 60,000 Per Day”
“The Only Road you see in Owaza Community is the one leading to Shell Office in Owaza,apart from that,no Road,no Light in Owaza Community because of the Neglect of Shell”
“There is no Pipe Borne Water in the whole of Owaza Land,Every Shell Staff in this Land comes from Portharcourt,and when they come they come with Bottle Water,they come in with Military in Front and Military at the Back”
“Abia State does not get anything in Return,Shell does not pay Tax to the Abia State Government,their Staffs work here but pays tax to Rivers State Government” He Said
On Thursday 19th January 2017,Select Journalists accompanied the Chief Press Secretary to Abia State Governor Mr Enyinnaya Appolos to Owaza Community,PUO REPORTS was among the entourage for a sight view of the situation in Owaza Community.
The Only means of Livelihood in Owaza Community is Okada Business or extracting of Sand from the River which is too bad for an Oil Producing Community
Nobody from Owaza Community has for once benefited from Shell Overseas Scholarship
