48 days after Chevron rig explosion, fear grips Nigeria communities

By Emma Amaize and Sam Oyadongha
2 March 2012 Forty-eight days after the January 16, Chevron Nigeria Limited, rig gas explosion in Bayelsa State, natives of Koluama I, Koluama II, Tamazo, Ebidouama and other communities in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state are now living in fear of being submerged because of the effects of the explosion on their environment. Community leaders of Koluama Kingdom, told Vanguard reporters who visited the community that the people had been hit by different diseases since the explosion which shook their homes. They said some people had died as a result of the strange diseases allegedly caused by the gas explosion. Some of the leaders who spoke to Vanguard include Chairman of Koluama I Council of Chiefs, Chief Christian Bofa-Akpele; vice-chairman, Koluama II Council of Chiefs, Chief G. Ekuere-Goli, Chief S. Diegemi and Chief J. Eyawei, leaders of the community and head of Tamazo community, Mavel Sapere, among others. Chief Bofa-Akpele gave the names of two of the dead persons in Koluama 1 as Mrs. Napoleon and Madam F. Olare. He said that ailments suffered by the people in most of the communities were identified as acute asthma, irregular breathing, vomiting, and stomach pains. A youth leader, Tari, at Tamazo, said: “Gas is affecting us seriously, we cannot sleep well and we stool frequently.”
Besides strange diseases, the communities said fishing, which is their major means of livelihood, had been crippled following the explosion. They showed newsmen dead fishes, even as some of them were seen fishing in the hope that they would catch healthy ones. As press time, the rig fire was still raging, though it had reduced in intensity due to the relief well that was dug to sap it. Chevron’s General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs, Engr. Femi Odumabo, told Vanguard: “Till date, onshore air testing has not found any detectable level of pollutants from the natural gas fire. The company regularly monitors the air at its offshore rigs and platforms. “This monitoring shows normal air quality. None of our workers on facilities nearest the incident site has reported any airborne health issues.” “Sampling and testing of air, sea/river water, sediment, soil, fisheries and vegetation is being conducted by independent environmental consultant, Fugro Nigeria Limited to determine any impact on the environment. These tests are ongoing and constant monitoring of the beaches show there is no scientific evidence of significant impact on the environment or the shoreline communities as a result of the incident. “We have also asked the University of Benin to launch an independent health assessment on local residents to provide further assurance that there was no health risk from this incident,” he added. Vanguard was shown one of the houses at Koluama 1 community, belonging to Engr Gitter Diegemi, said to have been affected by the explosion. The ceiling panel of the house collapsed and lay on the floor in the sitting room.

Nigeria: 48 Days After Chevron Rig Explosion – Fear Grips Koluama Communities