Civic Tower

 
Civic Tower on Victoria Island, Lagos is seen from Falomo bridge. Lagos landscape keeps changing, Mega City is loading everyday. Kunle Ajayi Photography

Obalende Park: Lagos On Recess

Obalende Park: Lagos on recess. Lagos roads are always busy especially in the morning and evening hours when workers are rushing to work and returning home respectively. Obalende and other major parks can only be seen calmed and orderly arranged between noon and 2pm when workers are fully settled in their offices. Photo: Kunle Ajayi

Oil in Nigeria

An oil vessel is seen on the high sea during the NIMASA air surveillance of Nigeria water recently. It is high time our Government tightened the loopholes in the oil industry. Photo: Kunle Ajayi  

An aerial view of oil depots seen in Apapa, Lagos during the NIMASA air surveillance of Nigeria water recently. It is high time our Government tightened the loopholes in the oil industry. Photo: Kunle Ajayi  

Oil Pollution in Niger Delta

Oil Pollution in Niger Delta

Oil Pollution in Niger Delta.

Photos and Story By Kunle Ajayi

Senior Photojournalist

Daily Independent Newspapers, 

Lagos.

Most times when people from Niger Delta region of Nigeria, especially those from oil producing communities, speak or air their grievances over the neglect they suffer as a result of devastation arising from crude oil exploration, it is possible for one to hurriedly conclude that they are greedy or just ranting to be noticed.

They do voice out their agitations because of bitter dose they constantly get as a result of oil exploration’s activities. Pollution has deprived many communities and forcefully displaced them from their source of living. They have little or nothing to show for the bulks of resources that come from their areas to sustain the nation’s economy.

Though pollution from solid waste, oil spillage and gas flaring are rampant, militarisation, bad roads, lack of access to portable and quality water, among others are features that dotted most communities that play host to oil exploration. Evidence bound that they have been sidelined for years by successive governments and the multinationals oil companies. They have witnessed series of failed promises from the government and the multinationals that operate on their land.

Presently, it seems that government is ready to swing in to action to clean up Ogoniland that has been polluted for years by the oil spill from the facilities of Shell, one of the multi-national oil companies in Nigeria. Daily Independent visited to Ogoniland and other areas in Rivers State to know the readiness of the people towards the clean up agenda.

 The Regent of Goi Kingdom, High Chief Eric Dooh, spoke the mind of his people that they were highly skeptical about the cleanup project and were looking beyond issue of cleaning up. According to him, they wanted Shell to pay compensations to the various people of the communities that had been ravaged by the spill. Also, Shell should restore their polluted soil and develop all the host communities through provision of social amenities.

‘’I doubt government’s sincerity about the cleaning. Since the spill from Shell facilities occurred 2003/2004 here in Goi community, the only government’s presence here is the sign post instructing people to vacate the area. I ask them where should we relocate to? I expect government to come and see things for herself, the level of devastation, destruction of our ecosystem and ruin of business and lives as a result of the spillage’’, Chief Dooh said.

 While conducted Daily Independent round some of the affected areas, the Regent said that he and his community were not hostile and ready to welcome Shell to resume its operations in their land on conditions that it would clean up the polluted areas, pay compensation to all the people and remediate their soil.

‘’Their business has impinged on our lives, land, water and businesses. There must be compensation-that is the justice. My father lost everything he laboured for as a result of spills.  

The place is still smelling and filled with piece cake of oil spills. The crops are yellowish and stunted, showing that the land is not yet good for farming or conducive for living. The question is why has it taken this long before taking a step for solution. When a similar spillage happened in United State of America, it was not politicized. The company involved was given a marching order to clean up the water so that the environment would be conducive for humanity’’, the Chief said.

In a related development, a visit to Ebocha, Egbemaland also in Rivers State a host community to Agip Nigeria showed that oil companies are not ready to put a paid to gas flaring in the area and other parts of Niger Delta region. Gas flaring according to the community was said to have caused acid rain, strange diseases, rashes and blindness.

Elder Dandy of Niger Delta Development Initiative who lives in Okwuesi said that oil companies must completely flare down and complete all their corporate social responsibility projects as agreed in memorandum of understanding they signed with their host communities. ‘’We are calling on government to mandate oil companies operating within our community and entire Niger Delta region to clean up and put an end to environment pollution so that our people can live and have quality of live’’, Dandy said.

The living room of the Regent of Goi Kingdom, High Chief Eric Dooh, is seen with head pans to collect rain dropping from the leaking roof. He said he has no money to fix the roof because of oil pollution that has ruined his fishing business.

 The Regent, Goi Kingdom, High Chief Eric Dooh, marches on piece cake of oil spills in Goi community

Dooh,  walks through part of his land that was devastated by 2003/2004 Shell’s oil spill at Goi community in Gokana area of Rivers State

 The regent said that sign post was the only presence of government in the affected community

 Dooh stands in his ruined compound that used to served as Secretariat Studies School and residence

 The stunted crops at Goi

 The Chief presents a dead crab. Said the spillage killed aquatic animals and destroyed his family fish ponds

 Traces of crude oil on the water at Goi community

 Ruined mangrove

 Dooh,  walks through part of his land that was devastated by 2003/2004 Shell’s oil spill at Goi community in Gokana area of Rivers State

 Government sign post confirms that the environment is polluted and warns people to stay off the area

 Air pollution as a result of Gas flaring from Agip Nigeria facilities at Ebocha in Rivers State.

 Spot of oil spillage at Ebocha, Egbema area of River State. The community said the oil company had never attempted to remediate its polluted land whenever there is spillage.

An oil well in Ebocha