Seven Months of Oil Spill: Governor’s Visit Is Not Enough,

By Ezekiel Kagbala

The visit of Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, to the oil-polluted Odidi Community is welcome, but it must not be mistaken for a solution to the environmental crisis.

The governor’s intervention and directives on relief, medical assistance and cleanup are commendable. However, the visit does not absolve Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited of responsibility for the environmental damage allegedly caused by its facilities.

More importantly, reports from affected communities indicate that the pollution has persisted for months, with allegations that crude oil continues to flow through the affected infrastructure. If the source of the spill remains active, the priority must be to stop the pollution before anything else.

A government visit without a firm order to halt operations on a compromised facility raises serious questions.

How can cleanup succeed while crude continues to enter the environment?

The Federal Government and relevant regulators, particularly NOSDRA and NUPRC, must urgently establish the true cause and extent of the pollution, conduct a transparent Joint Investigation Visit and determine whether continued operations are safe.

Where violations are established, appropriate sanctions must follow. If necessary, operations on affected facilities should be suspended until the source of the pollution is contained and the environment secured.

Heritage Energy must stop the source of the leak, deploy emergency containment measures, clean up the affected environment, provide relief and medical support to victims, and participate in an independent assessment of the damage.

The Niger Delta Civil Society Forum maintains that oil production cannot take precedence over human lives and the environment.

The governor has visited the affected communities. Now, government must move beyond visits and assurances.