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Non-governmental organisation, Stakeholders Alliance for Corporate Accountability (SACA), midweek intensified its campaigns against oil spillages in the Niger Delta region.
The NGO which was founded by a Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Kevin O’Hara exclusively organized an enlightenment/training programme for Paramount rulers and other community leaders drawn from 72 communities across Bayelsa state.
The programme tagged, “Action Reflection On Impacts of Oil Spillages and Human Rights” according to the NGO was aimed at bringing community leaders in the State to reflect and share actions they are taking to reduce crude oil spillages and its associated risks to the environment and human in their various communities.
National Wire Source gathered that SACA is funded by Misean Cara of the Republic of Ireland and the St. Patrick’s Missionary Society(SPS) of the Catholic Church.
Earlier in his opening remarks, Executive Director of SACA, Mr Kingsley Ozegbe said the rationale behind the event was to further take the engagement on the dangers of oil spills to the rural communities through leaders.
The NGO’s boss said the programme is organized as part of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP) which is an instrument that consist 31 principles that the UN adopted to Protect the rights of citizens, hold all companies and government to account to Respect and Remedy human rights abuses/violations as they conduct their business enterprises.
While cautioning against third party interference on oil and gas installations, Ozegbe expressed regrets that available data indicated that a large percentage of spillages in the Niger Delta region were caused by individual and groups interfering with oil facilities, thereby posing serious harm to the environment and people in communities.
The Executive Director said: “A recent research carried out by Roland Hodler and Anna Bruederle of the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland on the effects of oil spillages in the Nigeria showed that anyone who lives 10km away from the site of any oil spill is likely going to be affected by the hazardous impacts of the spills.
“We’ve today invited community leaders from 72 communities across the 8 LGAs of Bayelsa state to further enlighten them on the effects of oil spillages. We invited them because as leaders their duty is to see to the well-being of their communities, therefore they can educate and enlightened their natives and wards far better than anyone else.
“it widely reported that continuous exposure to crude oil spills cause miscarriage, still birth, deforms children and several neonatal challenges”.
“A clinical investigation in Rivers State on persons directly involved in unregulated processing of crude oil, transporting and selling of the products in local communities showed that they have traces of petroleum in their urine and blood, thus, increasing the likelihood of high incidence of cancer in people”.
In a presentation tagged, ‘ Impact of crude oil spill on Environment, health, food security and food safety’, key resource person, Dr Briggs Bieye Renner of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching hospital(UPTH), Rivers State re-emphasized the negative impacts of oil spills.
He identified exposure routes of crude oil to humans as oral ingestion of food and water contaminated by it, inhalation of contaminated air, and dermal contacts by bathing water contaminated with crude oil or mixing crude oil with body lotions/creams, amongst other. He said incomplete combustion of crude oil is a great source of air pollution in the region.
Dr Briggs advised communities affected by crude oil pollution to put pressure on individuals and oil companies to stop further pollution and strongly demand for remediation of all crude oil impacted sites before the multinational companies which have already begun divesting their onshore assets conclude the processes involved in it.
He said: “Affected communities and people must begin to protect their livelihoods from crude oil spills, and demand for payment of adequate compensation in accordance with global best practices”.
Other resource persons who made presentations include, the Director of Petroleum and Pollution, Bayelsa state Ministry of Environment, Eng. Reuben Enai; the Director of Public Health, Bayelsa state Ministry of Health, Dr. Jones Stow and the Director, Agricultural Services, Bayelsa State Ministry of Agriculture and National Resources, Mrs. Sarah Uduisi.
Others are, the Head, National critical unit, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps(NSCDC), Bayelsa state Command, Engr. Emmanuel Nwanchukwu , while goodwill message was delivered by Dr. Eugen Baadom, Bayelsa State Coordinator of the National Human Rights Commission, amongst others.
