By Deborah Nnamdi
Two communities in Delta State have demanded 50 billion naira ($32.5 million) in compensation and a halt to operations in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 40 over what they say are years of unchecked oil spills and improper waste disposal by Nigeria Exploration and Production Ltd (NEPL) and its partner, Elcrest.
The Opuama and Polobubo (Tsekelewu) communities are also asking for immediate clean-up and remediation within three months, according to a statement issued by the Warri-based NGO Save the Earth and Secure the Future (SESF).
The group accused the companies of repeated spills and the dumping of drilling waste around the Opuama field, alleging that the situation has remained unresolved since an October 2023 spill at the Opuama flow station. SESF said previous public warnings in 2023 and 2024 had been ignored and that a Joint Investigative Visit attributed the spills to equipment failure.
The NGO said it was alerting the Nigerian government and international bodies, including the UN Environment Programme and the U.S. government, to what it called severe environmental harm in OML 40. It said the alleged behaviour violates Nigeria’s Environmental Guidelines and Standards for the Petroleum Industry, which require prompt containment and clean-up of spills.
SESF said the spills have caused deaths, health problems and damage to livelihoods, and accused some officials of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) of failing to enforce environmental rules. It also alleged that drilling waste had been dumped in unapproved sites.
The group called on the ministers of petroleum and environment, the upstream regulator and international partners to intervene. It warned that the communities may take legal action to enforce their rights to health, a clean environment and a sustainable livelihood if their demands are not met.
Efforts to obtain comment from NEPL and NOSDRA were unsuccessful.
