The Kpean Community in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State has decried what it described as unprecedented environmental and humanitarian crisis following a devastating oil spill that occurred in the area.
The Kpean Council of Chiefs and Elders, who toured the site, noted that the oil spill had devastating effects on hectares of farmland, polluted rivers, and rendered the air unsafe for human habitation and the subsequent retrenchment of agricultural activities.
Speaking during the inspection of the site, Chief Anthony Waadah, Gbenemene of Legbo Kingdom and President of the Ogoni Association of Business Owners in America (OABOA) described the disaster as “Total and unacceptable.”
Waadah urged the Federal Government to clean up the mess caused by many years of oil exploration before talking about resuming fresh oil production from Ogoniland.
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“For decades, our rivers, farmlands, and communities have suffered in total disregard for international best practices”, he said.
Waadah added that HYPREP was expected to clean up Ogoniland and cushion the effects of continuous pollution.
Pointing at the spill site, Waadah said: “Even animals are dying here. How can humans survive in these conditions?
“Yet the federal government, the presidency, and the Minister of Environment appear unconcerned. This is not charity — this is justice we are demanding.”
He called on the international community to investigate and hold Shell and NNPCL accountable, saying: “We cannot continue to live in fear every day. The world must see what we are passing through.”
Paramount Ruler of Kpean, Lucky Gbene-Ewoh, expressed deep frustration over the fresh oil spills in the area.
He said: “We cannot go fishing again. We cannot farm. Our people cry every day.
The NNPCL confirmed equipment failure and corrosion, yet they failed to act for over two months despite promises from the federal and state governments”.
Gbene-Ewoh revealed that their repeated petitions, letters, and visits to Abuja were ignored leaving the community in continued peril.
“The silence is deafening. We need urgent intervention before more lives are lost,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the youth, Lemii Petaba, Kpean Youth President, said, “We are angry because the federal government continues to blame our people for this disaster. They claim third-party intervention, but they refused to give us a voice. Our rivers, farms, and farmlands have been destroyed. We will not sit idly by while our community is neglected.”
