A woman spreads her washed clothes to dry on oil pipelines through Nigerian communities. Hundreds of spills a year in the Niger delta do serious environmental damage.
Yenagoa, (Reuters) – Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell is containing an oil spill in the Niger delta, the company said on Friday, after the military reported liquid “jetting” out of a pipeline. Massive oil theft, sabotage of infrastructure and leaks from ageing pipelines are all cutting into the profits of the big oil companies operating in Nigeria, as well as damaging public finances.
The hundreds of spills a year in the Niger delta do serious environmental damage, destroying fishing communities and poisoning water used for drinking and bathing.
The military joint taskforce said it had discovered a leak on a pipeline near Adamakiri in Rivers state while looking for illegal oil refiners. “An assessment of the spot revealed that a brownish liquid substance was observed jetting out from an opening on the pipeline,” a statement said. “The commanding officer … attributed the leakage to corrosion on the pipeline.”
A spokesman for SPDC Nigeria said that “oil spill containment” had been put in place but it was too early to determine the cause of the leak.
The company says most spills are due to gangs tapping pipelines to steal oil but local communities say the company is responsible for more spills than it acknowledges.
Shell is facing legal action in a UK court on behalf of 11,000 members of the Niger delta Bodo community, who say the company is responsible for spilling 500,000 barrels in 2008. Shell has admitted liability for two spills in the Bodo region but estimates the volume is far lower.
Operational problems in Nigeria cost Shell $250m in the second quarter of this year, the firm says.
Nigeria’s government revenues slumped 42% in July due to production outages, it said on Friday.
This is sad. Nobody cares for the people of the Niger Delta. Since the organised killing of the only voice of the people – Ken Saro-Wiwa, the govt have no plans to clean up the mess and better the lives of the people while the oil hawks like Shell are concerned with their annual earnings and pushes through their inhuman treatment of the communities by moving money around those shamesless idiots in Abuja. A time is coming when the centre can no longer hold, and things will fall apart for Nigeria – respect to the great Chinua Achebe. I had prayed not to see this path in Nigeria but the present crop of visionless so-called leaders have no clue. Nigeria is becoming a jinx.Great respect for the hardworking and tough people of the Niger Delta – still kicking and hoping despite the blood money over their heads.