The Dutch Ambassador Mr Robert Petri on Tuesday visited
Ikarama and Kalabar communities in Bayelsa hosting oilfields operated by Shell
Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).
The Envoy pledged to mediate and improve the relations
between the oil community and the Dutch oil firm Royal Shell, parent company of
SPDC over pollutions and neglect of social obligations
The Ambassador was accompanied by Mr Chelsey Buurman,
Second Secretary at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Abuja.
The diplomats were led on the trip by Mr Alagoa Morris,
an Environmentalist and Head of Field Operations in Niger Delta at
Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria.
Speaking shortly after visiting an oil spill impacted
site in Ikarama, the Ambasadr said,: “It is a honour and a pleasure to be
received today in this community.
“So, I would like to pay my respect to you, paramount
ruler of this community.
“ I am very happy that we can have exchange of views
here. I have come here to see with my own eyes the situation in this community.
“So I hope we can exchange information and viewpoints on
an informal basis so that I can be properly informed as I go back to Abuja. So,
I’m all ears and eyes and to hear from you.
“I have already heard something but would like to hear
more; I think it is also important. Maybe you can give your personal experiences.
Let’s take it from there’’, Petri said.
Chief Francis Kolibo, the Parramount ruler of Kalaba said
:‘’ This is the first time we are receiving somebody like you in this
community. We have lots of problems, for instance; oil spills.
“Recently an oil spill occurred at Ikarama, on June, 12
2018 and, during this years flood; the flood transferred the crude oil to our
environment. We promptly wrote to the Ministry of Environment.
“But up till this minute they have not come to see what
has happened, If you would be able to cross over the Taylor Creek to see the
impacted areas you would see that most
farms in the area have been covered by crude oil.
“Crops harvested from the impacted environment get
rotten. When we catch fish from the impacted swamp and eat, we perceive crude
oil from the belle of the fish.
“That is the
problem. Shell has not provided water for us. If you take a look at the water
flowing in the Taylor Creek, the water is undrinkable.
“But there is nothing we can do; we just drink from it as
there is no alternative source. So, those are some of our problems’’. The
monarch said.
Leaders in the area, Samuel Oburo Chiarman,Community
Development Committee, Mrs. Gold Ogbolosingha, Women Leader, Mr Benjamin Warder
, Youth President of Ikarama amongst others took turns to catalogue the
development needs before them.
Also Chief Washington Odoyibo who spoke on the allegation
that the communities were a hotbed of pipeline vandalism absolved the
communities and said that the sabotage were perpetrated by oil workers engaged
by SPDC in oilfields in the area.
“It is Shell staff, their contract staff; all these
contractors you are seeing here in Ikarama environment, the companies are owned
by Shell staff.
“When oil spills don’t occur for a good period of time in
our environment or some other community, they would try to go into those
communities and meet some boys.
“They invited me; there was a time they invited me to
Ayalla Hotel in Yenagoa. But I refused because I work closely with ERA/FoEN and
I know the impacts of these spills.
“When spill occur we know what we pass through. ERA has
taught me a lot about the negative impacts so I refused. I said, ‘No I can’t do
it’’. I came back home.
“Within five days after, oil spill occurred in this area.
So those are the things they are doing, especially the Community Liaison
Officers and the contractors so that they will be given clean up, oil recovery
and pipeline fixing jobs’ Odoyibo said.
In his response, the Ambassador expressed appreciation to
the community and its leadership for the warm reception and speaking out their
minds..
“We are honoured and very glad to hear with our ears what
the problems here are. The things you have tabled are well noted. And they are
also understood.
“So what we would do, we would take the situation back to
Abuja where we come from and we will share this experience, this information
with Shell and with the government.
“That is what I can say right now. I like to thank you for your openness. I understand your problems and we will see
what we can discuss about these problems back in Abuja.
“I am very happy that you were really saying what you
wanted to say. And I have heard you, loud and clear’’.Petri said
Meanwhile reacting to the allegations of neglect and
complicity by SPDC staff in sabotage of oil facilities in Ikarama and Kalaba
Communities, Mr Bamidele Odugbesan Media Relations Manager at SPDC said the oil
firm does not tolerate leaks.
“We remain committed
to our Goal Zero which means Zero Leak and Zero harm to people and environment.
“Our staff and
contractors are bound by this high standard of environmental performance.
“Our social investment
programmes are designed to benefit our host communities in particular and we implement
diverse such programmes in scholarships, development projects through the
Global Memorandum of Understanding and other initiatives within the resources
available,” Odugbesan said
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