We’ll protest Unclad to summon wrath of gods
against FG, gas company over oil spillage –
A’Ibom women
against FG, gas company over oil spillage –
A’Ibom women
NSIT IBOM- WOMEN of Obotim Nsit community,
Nsit Ibom Local Government Area, Akwa-Ibom State
have vowed to protest Unclad to summon the wrath
of the gods against government and a gas company
whose pipeline was blown up in the community by
the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, July 24, for
allegedly abandoning them to their fate after the
destructive incident.
They claimed that the explosion caused extensive
damage to all the houses in the village besides
ruining their farmlands and other means of
livelihood, only for the company, working for the
Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC,
which constructed the pipeline, to simply evacuate
its equipment after the incident and leave.
However, NDA, penultimate week, declared an
unannounced ceasefire following the appeal by
monarchs, leaders and stakeholders of the Niger
Delta coastal states on militants to sheathe their
swords.
In response to an earlier inquiry on the complaints
by communities about the effects of their attacks
on the environment, spokesperson of the militant
group, self-styled Brig Gen Mudoch Agbinibo,
empathized with the people, but said it was an
unavoidable corollary they would have to bear in the
spirit of the struggle to liberate them.
2000 houses under threat
Head of the host community, where the Nigeria
National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, gas pipeline
control valve is located, Eteidung Okon Aaron
Ukpong, told Niger Delta Voice, NDV, that the
explosion destroyed nearly 2000 houses in the
community.
Besides shattering the villagers’ means of
livelihood, he said the people have become
susceptible to untold danger and insecurity, as their
homes now stand on shaky foundations with the
roofing sheets weakened by harmful chemical
effects of the gas emissions.
Our anger against gas firm, govt- Nkanta, women
leader
Women Leader of the community, Mrs. Dorothy
Nkanta, who corroborated the claims of the village
head, was aghast at the alleged lack of concern of
their plight showed by government and Seven
Energy Gas Company before and after the
explosion.
Stressing that the explosion destroyed their cassava
farms, oil palm and other economic trees, Nkanta
lamented: “Unfortunately, Seven Energy came and
evacuated their equipment from the site not
minding the losses the community have recorded.
“That means that they do not care about the
disaster they have brought to us after taking our
land to lay their pipeline and locate their control
valve. They are not bothered about the health
hazards and general calamity the emissions from
their pipeline have brought to our land.
“What have they said is our offence for giving our
land out for them to do business? Is this the kind
of reward we should receive from government and
the gas company for the good thing we did for
them”?
Stripped protest
Her words: “But I want to warn that they should not
provoke us to go Unclad on the streets for them
else, it will not be well with them.
“We need compensation for the losses we have
recorded as a result of that gas pipeline explosion
and for the degradation of our land since that gas
pipeline control valve was installed at the Asang
Community High School, else, we will go Unclad on
the streets to provoke the gods of our land to
action against these people, who have suddenly
turned our enemies.”
Problem started since 2008
The village head, Ukpong, added: “The people’s
worry is that while they were all along trying to
contend with the health hazards they were subjected
to by the chemical emissions from the gas pipeline
since it was installed in 2008, the explosion of July
24, 2016 has come to worsen things for them by
completely destroying their means of livelihood and
shelter, even as the state and federal governments
and Seven Energy Gas Company managing the
pipeline have showed no concern for the plight of
the people.”
Before the explosion, he said since 2008 when the
company laid the pipeline, the people no longer
record good yields from their farm lands due to
harmful chemical discharges from the pipelines into
the soil.
He confirmed that Seven Energy Gas Company, the
outfit in-charge of the gas pipeline for the NNPC,
indeed, came to evacuate its equipment after the
explosion not minding the havoc the explosion had
caused the community in terms of devastation of
farmlands, lives and people’s houses.
“We thought initially that the laying of the gas
pipeline control valve at Asang was a blessing, only
for it to become a curse to the community,.
“Since 2008 that the gas pipeline control valve was
located at Asang Community High School, Obotim
Nsit, our people started having health challenges
due to harmful chemical emissions from the
pipeline just as our sources of drinking water got
destroyed.
“Besides, our farmlands have become degraded and
no longer record good yields as a result of harmful
chemical spills on the land. Even the roofs on our
houses no longer last beyond one year because of
leakages caused by harmful effect of chemicals
from the gas pipeline.
“And now, the explosion, which occurred on July
24, 2016, has come to cause complete destruction
of our farms, our houses and investments and the
attitude of government towards us after we recorded
the magnitude of losses, is an indication that the
location of the gas pipeline control valve and the
gas pipeline passing through our community
generally, is a curse rather than a blessing”, the
Eteidung insisted.
He, therefore, urged both the state and federal
governments to send their agencies to assess the
magnitude of distress the pipeline explosion has
brought to the people of the community with a view
to compensating them.
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