Delta Oil Community Carpets Chevron, NPDC over Polluted Water

Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba

Polobubo-Tsekelewu community of Egbema (Ijaw) Kingdom in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State, has raised the alarm over the festering environmental crisis in the community, accusing oil companies operating in the area of triggering serious saline pollution of their water and entire ecosystem.

Speaking at press conference in commemoration of this year’s World Environment Month (June), tagged “Only One Earth, One Homeland Polobubo (Tsekelewu)”, to draw the attention of federal and state governments as well as the international community to their plight of inhabitants of the impacted area, the community demanded for remediation from the perpetrators of the environment injustice.

The leaders of the oil-rich community accused Chevron, Shell and NPDC of polluting their hitherto freshwater resources by exposing their natural water bodies to the saline water of the Atlantic Ocean in the cause of intensive oil exploration and exploitation.

They also issued a 14-point demand for restitution and restoration for the community whose economic and socio-cultural activities have been gravely disrupted by the effects of the widespread devastation.

Speaking on behalf of the leaders and people, President-General, Polobubo (Tsekelewu) Community Development Association (PCDA), Dr. Bright Abulu, said at the event in Warri, “Polobubo, originally a fresh water environment with fresh water ecosystems, has been replaced by salt water environment due to the exploration and exploitation of crude oil by companies operating in Polobubo-Tsekelewu community and sister communities. It will interest you to know that Polobubo-Tsekelewu community is host to Chevron Nigeria Limited, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Nigeria Petroleum Development Company/Elcrest Nigeria limited JV (NPDC/ElCrest), Conoil Producing Nigeria Limited and Sahara Energy Services Limited.

“These companies have contributed to the devastation, pollution and destruction of our ecosystems and brought Polobubo-Tsekelewu community to its pitiable environmental condition.”

The community demanded the cleaning, remediation and reparation of the environment, land reclamation and shoreline protection, canalization and dredging of Opuama-Tsekelewu creeks, among others, by the oil firms under the authority and direction of Federal Government.

Specifically, they demanded, among others, that: “Cleaning, remediation and reparation of the environment should be executed for Polobubo (Tsekelewu) community by Federal Government of Nigeria and Delta State Government as well as SPDC, Chevron Nigeria Limited, NPDC/ElCrest JV and Conoil Producing Nigeria Limited as stated in the 2022 Nigeria Petroleum Industry Act, Section 101(2,3) by 2023.

“Land reclamation and shoreline protection projects should be executed for Polobubo community by the Federal Government of Nigeria, Niger Delta Develop Commission (NNDC) and Delta State Government before 2024.”

They also demanded the payment of “fair and adequate compensation due to siltation, seasonal flooding, saltwater intrusion, loss of vegetation, loss of sources of livelihood, reduction in biodiversity, and outbreak of water-borne/impounded diseases caused by devastation, pollution and destruction of our ecosystems by SPDC, Chevron Nigeria Limited and NPDC/ElCrest JV before 2024.”

While demanding federal and state environment authorities’ “special visits and investigations to Polobubo community to see things for themselves”, the people demaded “The immediate blockade of the Western Bypass Canal that linked Polobubo community to the Atlantic Ocean by Chevron Nigeria Limited and the Federal Ministry of Works before December 2025.”

Other speakers at the event tagged, “Only One Earth, Only One Homeland, Polobubo,” included international human rights and environmental award winning journalist, Ibiba Don-Pedro, publisher of the Pot-Harcourt based ‘The Point Newspaper’, Chief Tiemo Anthony, Rev. T.D. Clement, Sir Richard Aboh, Mrs Abulu Ghana and Mr. Christmas Akugha.