The Arewa Consultative Youth Movement has urged the management of AITEO Eastern Exploration and Production Company Limited to adequately compensate families and communities affected by the oil spill from one of its sites in Nembe, Bayelsa State.
According to the group, such a move will not only go a long way to alleviate the loss and suffering of those affected by the disaster but also show that the oil firm is responsible and interested in the safety and well-being of people in its host communities.
ACYM made the call in a statement on Thursday, signed by its President, Mallam Kabir Yusuf, and Director of Media and Communications, Mallam Sani Mohammed Ali.
The group also debunked earlier reports that it condemned the comments of Governor Duoye Diri of Bayelsa over the incident, describing such reports as the work of detractors trying to pitch youths of Niger Delta against their counterparts in Northern Nigeria.
The statement read, “Our group has been drawn to a widely circulated publication purportedly emanating from our organisation, which cast aspersions on the person and statement of governor of Bayelsa State, Duoye Diri, on the Nembe oil spill occasioned by the blowout of Santa Barbara Well 1, OML 29 operated by AITEO Exploration and Production Company Limited in Opu Nembe, Bayelsa State.
“We wish to categorically dissociate ourselves from the said statement as it did not emanate from our organisation.
“At no time did we contemplate challenging or condemning the position of the governor of Bayelsa State or any other person on that unfortunate incident.
“Therefore, we call on the governor, good people of Nembe community, Bayelsans and the general public to disregard and discountenance the news in its entirety.
“We categorically condemn the malicious sponsors of the ill-intended news for not only politicising the misfortune that befell the innocent people of Nembe but for also trying to introduce a regional and ethnic dimension to the situation so as to pitch the youth of the Niger Delta against their Arewa brothers.
“The magnitude of devastation this has caused the source of livelihood of the people and ecosystem of that side of the Niger Delta is alarming and a great source of concern to all men of good conscience.
“After analysing the devastating calamity, we call on the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency penalise the company and ensure it takes necessary steps to remedy the environment, pay compensation and be more responsible in their operations going forward.
“We urge Aiteo Exploration and Production Company Limited to show more professionalism in its operations and be humane in its relationship with its host communities.
“We commiserate with the affected communities and entire people of the Niger Delta on this horrific misfortune.”
On November 5, a wellhead in the Santa Barbara oil field blew open, spilling oil and gas into local rivers for at least 35 days before the leak was fixed.
The disaster hampered farming and fishing activities, which are the mainstay of the local economy in the region, for several weeks, leading to huge financial losses for individuals and households.
Responding to the disaster, the Bayelsa State Government on December 15 set up an 11-member committee to investigate the cause of the oil spill, which experts have described as the biggest in the history of the petroleum sector in Nigeria.
Calling for a review of the law backing the National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency to ensure tougher sanctions for offending oil firms, Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ikeazor, compared the oil spill site in Nembe to scene of World War II atomic bombing in Hiroshima, Japan.
