Oil spill: Oborevwori orders clean-up, medical help for Delta communities

The Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, has ordered immediate medical intervention and urgent measures to tackle the devastating impact of the oil spill along the Trans-Forcados pipeline, saying the state government would not allow affected communities to suffer unnecessarily.

Oborevwori, who spoke during an inspection visit to Odidi community, Warri South-West Local Government Area, on Tuesday, directed the State Commissioner for Health to “immediately deploy medical teams to affected communities to assess residents and determine the health implications of the pollution.”

The governor was accompanied by the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Emomotimi Guwor; Commissioner of Police, CP Samuel Erale; Commander, 63 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Asaba, Brig.-Gen. Ibrahim Buhari; Commander, Nigerian Navy Ship Delta, Warri, Commodore Shehu Tasiu; Commander, 3144 Operating Base, Nigerian Air Force, Warri, Group Capt. Charles Abara; State Director of the Department of State Services, Dr Peter Afunanya; and other senior government officials.

While noting that the situation had become too serious to be treated casually, Oborevwori, said, “We have to take this matter seriously. Once you see what is happening, you realise that it is a very big issue. We don’t want our people dying at this time. We cannot afford to lose our focus or waste time. We have to act quickly and decisively.”

Oborevwori said the intervention would go beyond the distribution of relief materials, stressing that residents must be medically examined because of the possible health consequences of prolonged exposure to pollution.

He also directed Heritage Energy to deploy a medical team and provide relief materials, saying the medical teams would visit the affected communities, assess the environmental and health impact and determine appropriate intervention. He added that the exercise would cover other areas affected by the incident.

The governor also demanded genuine dialogue between the oil operator and host communities, saying meaningful engagement was necessary to resolve the crisis and prevent further tension.

He assured the communities that his administration would continue to engage the relevant stakeholders until their concerns were addressed, while commending the security agencies for maintaining peace during the intervention.

Addressing the affected residents, Oborevwori noted with concern that “while an initial assessment showed that about 86 communities were affected, the number had now risen to 216.”

He said the operating company had assured the government that the technical process would be concluded and that the clean-up would be completed before the end of October, after which the affected communities would be engaged on compensation and other measures.

The governor warned that commitments made by the company must be honoured, saying the government would take necessary steps to ensure compliance.