Even as residents of Port Harcourt and other communities across the 23 Local Government Areas in which Kpofire sites continue to torment people of the state, enjoy what many fear will be just a brief respite from the menace of Kpofire, the burden of past oil spills continue to haunt people of the state and the rest of the region. In one gnawing example of how small, easily resolved matters are allowed to fester, leaders of the Artisan Fishermen Association of Nigeria (ARFAN), Niger Delta chapter who are victims of the victims of the Shell Bonga Oil Spill of December 20, 2011, have demanded the immediate payment of $3.4billion fine from the company, which was imposed on it by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA).
The victims from the five states, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Ondo and Rivers made the demand after a virtual meeting with their lawyers and allies recently in Port Harcourt.
Federal Govt Moots 18 Modular Refinery Set Up In The Niger Delta
The Federal Government on two weeks ago said it was working to establish three modular refineries in each of the oil producing states, particularly in the Niger Delta region.
Going by the plan, the government would have to establish about 18 refineries in the country's six major oil producing states in the Niger Delta including Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Edo and Cross River.
It said the objective was to halt the illegal artisanal refining activities going on in oil producing areas and its impact on residents in the affected locations.