The Kpean Community in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State has lamented what it described as an 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, said the spill destroyed hectares of farmland, polluted rivers, and rendered the air unsafe for human habitation, reports The Nation.
Speaking while inspecting the site at the weekend, 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 appealed to the federal government to clean up the mess caused by many years of oil exploration before talking about resuming fresh oil production from Ogoniland.
“For decades, our rivers, farmlands, and communities have suffered in total disregard for international best practices”, he said.
Waadah said 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.”
