Nigeria Content Online

The Delta State government has frowned at the handling of the
oil spill which devastated the Multi-billion naira Ekpan fish farm when one of
Chevron oil’s tugboats sank in its dockyard in Ekpan, Uvwie local government
area and discharged a substance suspected to be diesel into the Ekpan River.

The spill contaminated water at the farm, killing tonnes of fish
and sending fish farmers into despair. Chevron officials however said they have
contained the incident, which the company said was restricted to its compound.

The remark seemed to have attracted the ire of the state
government. The state commissioner for environment, Bello Orubebe berated
officials of the company who were at his office in Asaba yesterday to make a
presentation on the spill.

Mr Orubebe said the presentation fell short of the economic and
ecological damage caused by the spill.

The leader of the oil company’s team, Tim Ainodion had, in his
presentation, claimed that only eight litres of diesel and lubrication spilled
from the sunken tug boat. He further said that while the spill was limited to
the company’s water front, it has been cleaned up and normal fishing was going
on in the Ekpan River.

But an enraged Mr. Orubebe countered these claims and accused
Chevron of not giving a true picture of the event in its presentation. He said
reports from the ministry’s field officers show that the massive cluster of
fishing ponds in Ekpan have been impacted by the spill.

“We insist that the spill is still continuing, the effect is
continuing, the fish in the ponds are dying, the river is polluted and there is
need for Chevron to go back and deploy its full capacity to clean-up the
river”, said the commissioner, who said he was relocating to Warrri to oversee
the situation.

Peace at risk

He said the state governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan was disturbed
because the spill has adversely affected the indigenes and warned that if the
situation was not properly managed, it could threaten the federal government’s
amnesty programme as well as the prevailing peace in the area.

Mr Orubebe however pledged government’s cooperation to ensure a
quick clean-up of the polluted pond and river, stressing that this was not the
time to trade blames over the incident.

The spill started about two weeks ago and the affected farmers
said they are yet to notice any reduction in the impact of the spill.

“We are calling on the government and multinational agencies to
come to our aid. We borrowed monies to start this business, but now all our
fishes are gone. The pollution started last week, now it has spread all over
the ponds. If we are not helped, we will run out of business,” Joshua Ughere,
chairman, board of trustees of Ufuoma United Farm, Ekpan said.