From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
A coalition of international non-governmental organisations has described the impact of oil pollution on the environment and health of people in Bayelsa State as deeply traumatising.
The coalition, comprising the International Working Group on Petroleum Pollution and Just Transition in the Niger Delta region (IWG), Social Action, and Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), is currently in Bayelsa on a sensitisation campaign on the health hazards associated with oil pollution, as highlighted in the report of the Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission (BSOEC).
The group called for urgent intervention to address the worsening situation.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting at the Harold Dappa Biriye Hall, Government House, Yenagoa, members of the delegation, including Prof. Engobo Emeseh, Dr Kathryn Nwajiaku-Dahou, Prof. Michael Watts, Prof. Anna Zalik and Dr Isaac Osuoka, expressed concern over what they described as continued indifference to the recommendations contained in the report.
The group urged stakeholders to outline steps taken since the report’s release and called for concerted action to tackle oil pollution and ensure compensation for residents of oil-bearing communities.
During a visit to Governor Douye Diri, Prof. Emeseh, speaking on behalf of the delegation, lamented that life expectancy in Bayelsa had declined significantly because residents were being forced to live with contaminated land, air and water.
Emeseh, of the Faculty of Law, Aberystwyth University, United Kingdom, explained that the IWG’s advocacy was focused on public health in line with recommendations contained in the BSOEC report submitted in 2023.
She disclosed that laboratory analyses of blood samples collected from residents across the eight local government areas of Bayelsa revealed alarming levels of hydrocarbon pollution and carcinogenic metals, contributing to rising mortality and morbidity rates.
While commending the Bayelsa State Government for establishing the commission, she said the IWG would continue to partner with the state and other organisations to mitigate the health impacts of oil pollution.
“My colleagues and I, who were members of the expert working group, were deeply traumatised by what we found in Bayelsa State. We described our findings as environmental genocide. Even though our commission was decommissioned in November 2024, we remain committed to this cause,” she said.
Responding, Governor Diri, represented by his deputy, Dr Peter Akpe, described the report as one of the most important documents for guiding efforts aimed at addressing environmental hazards caused by oil pollution.
He urged the Federal Government and international organisations to treat Bayelsa’s oil pollution crisis as a special case and assured the group of his administration’s commitment to environmental remediation and improved healthcare delivery.
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