YENAGOA – Mr Nnimmo Bassey, an environmentalist, on Wednesday called for an environmental audit of Niger Delta environment to ascertain the impact on oil exploration and production.
Bassey, Executive Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), renewed his appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa.
He, however, insisted that Chevron’s rig explosion and fire negatively impacted coastal dwellers in Delta and Bayelsa.
According to him, investigation conducted by HOMEF in Bayelsa’s coastal communities in September revealed rising sea levels which resulted in ocean surge submerging the settlements.
He said the foundation had enough evidence to link the January 2012 rig explosion which washed away substantial parts of Koluama community in Bayelsa.
Bassey, therefore, stressed the need to carry out an independent post impact assessment on Bayelsa and Delta coastlines to avert further ecological disasters in the affected areas.
NAN recalls that January 2012 explosion in Apoi North oilfield operated by Chevron triggered off a fire incident which burnt at the oil rig for more than 50 days before it was put out. [eap_ad_1] “The struggle for a clean Niger Delta must be intensified because if this environment is not cleaned up, there is no hope for the Niger Delta after the wells will have run dry or after the country moves away from depending on crude oil as an income earner.
“It is now that the environment must be cleaned up otherwise these suffering people, our people are sentenced to death. Already the environment has been sentenced to death.
“In fact the environment of the Niger Delta is actually on life support right now.
“There is an urgent need to commission a study to assess the damage done to the ecosystem by Chevron’s blow out of 2012.
“Already we are witnessing violent ocean surge threatening submerge the communities along the coastline.
“We do believe that this is a direct consequence of the 2012 explosion from the sea bed which has distorted the ecosystem decimated fisheries,” Bassey said. (NAN)
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