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Oilwatch Africa, an
environmental group, has described ExxonMobil’s poor reaction to calls
on it to mend its ruptured oil pipeline in some communities in Akwa
Ibom State, as worrisome. The group asked the Nigerian government to
immediately impose appropriate sanctions on the oil multinational.

Multiple spills
from a ruptured pipeline laid by Exxon Mobil in 1968 had gone unchecked
for over three weeks, impacting several communities in Ibeno local
government area, spreading to 15 other communities in Esit Eket and
Eket LGAs of Akwa Ibom State.

The current spill
is coming barely two weeks after over 100,000 barrels of crude oil was
spewed into the ecosystem from the same facility.

Like ExxonMobil, like BP

Oilwatch Africa, in
a statement issued in Port Harcourt, said that ExxonMobil’s action is a
clear indication of their disdain not only for the ecosystem, but also
for the livelihoods of communities that have been impacted by the
spills.

The group lamented
that Nigeria leaks as much oil as the current spill in the Gulf of
Mexico every year, and that in over five decades of oil exploitation
over 7000 separate oil spill events have occurred in the country.

It urged the
Nigerian government to immediately set in motion open and transparent
process to compel Exxon Mobil to take immediate action to contain and
curtail the spread of the spill, restore the ecosystem, and compensate
communities whose livelihoods have been impacted upon.

Government’s romance with oil companies

“It is still a
puzzle that the Nigerian government is still entangled in an unholy
wedlock with the oil industry. By now, we expect the Nigerian
government to take a cue from the US government’s response to the Gulf
of Mexico incident by instituting criminal charges against individuals
and businesses that have destroyed local livelihoods and compel them to
pay for what it would cost to restore the ecosystem,” said Nnimmo
Bassey, International Steering Committee member of Oilwatch
International.

Mr. Bassey
described as “disturbing” the fact that it took vigorous protests of
communities for the oil company to grudgingly accept responsibility for
the spill, make a pledge to clamp the leaking oil pipeline, and to make
available relief materials to affected communities.

“It is even more
disheartening that in addressing this ecological disaster, our own
government decided to hide behind closed doors and allowed itself to
take the unprecedented step of barring the press from being part of the
resolution of an issue which affects us all.” Mr. Bassey said that it
is appropriate to remind the Nigerian government about the steps taken
by the U.S government as the spill in the Gulf of Mexico evolved,
especially the mobilisation of over 20,000 people and 1,300 vessels to
join in the efforts to stop the oil from reaching ecologically
sensitive wetlands and to participate in the immediate process of
remediation of the ecosystem.

“Will the mouthpieces of the oil industry in our government claim
ignorance of US government insistence that BP sucks its spill and
pledge $20 billion as an initial step to deal with the immediate,
medium term, and long term impact of the spill? For true and lasting
peace in the Niger Delta, the Nigerian government must actively pursue
an economic diversification agenda that reduces dependence on oil as a
single major revenue earner, because present global realities is a
world moving towards non-fossil based development,” Mr. Bassey said.