The nine communities at the Okordia-Zarama axis of Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, where an earth tremor occured last week said they are still living in fear since the experienced of Wednesday, June 4.
The nine communities which include Ikarama, Freetown, Kalaba, Ayamabele, Akomonu, Agbobiri, Epie-Zarama, Nyambiri-Zarama and New Jerusalem have been suffering one of the worst cases of crude oil spillage over the years.
Lying off Zarama Junction on the East-West Road, the area boasts three manifolds, gas pipelines and over 150 oil wells operated by Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) and Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC).
The Ikarama manifold alone controls over 85 oil wells in addition to two Zarama manifolds making the area one of the richest in crude oil and gas deposits in the country. Mr. Obonah Timi, chairman of the community development committee (CDC) of Okordia community and head of the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) said in Yenagoa last weekend that the earth tremor has left the entire people in the balance.
“It I something that the people are afraid of, they intend parking out if not that government came to reassure them. The entire people of Okordia-Zarama are in the balance because it is a sign of a severe happening,” Timi said.
Although Hon. Iniruo Wills, Bayelsa State Commissioner for Environment was in the area to inspect slight damages caused by the tremor, Timi said the government and oil companies should invite experts to examine the area and proffer solutions. He wondered that instead of blessing, crude oil is turning out to be a curse due absence of best practices by oil companies and lack of interest by the federal and state governments.
“We laymen know that after taking out the oil, vacuum is created and they ought to pump in some fluid to stabilize the soil. This is something that has to happened in this part of Nigeria before. Government should urge the oil companies to look beyond taking the oil,” he stated. Continuing, he appealed that, “Government should not sit back. They should look at the areas giving them these allocations in the rural areas to do something.
“There should be no extreme degradation. People should not die for something coming out of their soil. This is a timely warning and government and oil companies should be proactive.”
Timi lamented that although they have been crying for development, not much is being done to improve the living conditions of the people and looking visibly disturbed, he concluded, “We are all afraid.”
http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/two-weeks-after-tremor-nine-bayelsa-communities-still-live-in-fear/
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