To the people of Obelle Community in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, waiting for environmental justice is no doubt an endless waiting game. They have waited in vain for over 20 years for redress and remediation following the devastation of their community farmlands and river by a devastating gas eruption that occurred on Shell’s facility in Obelle Community in 1998.
Since then, the people of the community have continued to count their losses, having taken many steps in search of justice. Sadly, the more they search for justice, the farther justice seems to fly away from them.
Genesis of the problem:
Obelle community is one of the Niger Delta communities where Shell Petroleum Development Company carries out its oil extraction activities. The company has many oil wells scattered in many communities/locations within the Niger Delta region, including Obelle community. In February 1998, there was a gas fire explosion at Shell’s oil well 4 located within the community. The fire raged on for several weeks until chemicals were used by Shell to quench it, National Point gathered. Those chemicals, which composition, community members said they could not really understand, but believe were dangerous, were later washed into the river which served as source of water supply for the community.
The gas fire with associated gas that leaked into the environment, impacted about 21 hectares of arable community farmlands, causing severe environmental hazards to the community, community members informed this publication under anonymity. Crops and economic trees were destroyed by the eruption. Their water source was seriously polluted. A community source said that for a community that depends on farming and fishing for survival, the fire brought huge negative impacts on the community members.
Community members have complained that they started experiencing some strange ailments and increased death rates after the incidence, arousing suspicion that it may be connected to the chemicals washed into the aquifer.
In addition to the impacts on health, the gas explosion impacted negatively on the livelihood of community members. The fertility of the soil was affected, resulting to sustained poor harvests. “Farm produce has reduced greatly as a result of pollution caused by Shell’s operations in the community, resulting to poor income from farming and agonies for the people of Obelle,” said Henry Eferegbo, a community leader.
He lamented that rather than improving the well-being of the community members, the activities of Shell has contributed to huge adverse impact on the people’s sources of survival in violation of UN guiding principles on business and human rights.
He disclosed that since the oil major’s gas fire ravaged the community, the company has neither carried out proper remediation of the affected farm lands and water source, nor given any form of compensation to the people for the destruction of their sources of livelihood, their aquifer, their economic trees and the trauma they have been subjected to. All the cries for justice by the community members have continued to fall on deaf ears. Shell had however, responded viciously to the community’s clamour for justice by resorting to intimidation and the use of armed security forces against the people of the community.
A socio-cultural group in Obelle known as New Wave, was formed to champion the agitation for environmental justice and remediation following the gas fire.
In 2008, the group sent a petition to the Rivers State government calling on the government to intervene and prevail on Shell to do the needful and initiate discussions with the people on how to resolve the issues.
After holding about three meetings with Shell, the group was allegedly transformed into a violent cult gang that unleashed mayhem in the community.
“They came back from a meeting with Shell one day and held some community elders hostage, accusing them of collecting money from Shell,” this publication gathered. The crisis that ensued led to the killing of about 12 members of the community, including the then oldest man in the community, who was beheaded by the gang. These people were alleged to have collected a huge amount of money from Shell on behalf of the community, an allegation which the accusers claim they gathered from their meeting with Shell, and which could not be substantiated.
“Shell adopted the disinformation strategy to cause crisis in the community in order to divert attention from the issue of gas fire and the community’s demand for justice”, a community source told this publication. At the peak of the crisis, the community was deserted as people were forced to flee to other communities for their safety and security. Some of those consumed by the crises include Oha Alexander Egonu, Chinedu Anyanwu, Chidi Asonye, Okachi Awoi, among others.
On January 29, 2018, Obelle concerned citizens sent a complaint to the Dutch National Contact Point, NCP, stating that Shell breached OECD guidelines in their operations of oil well 4 in the community, which resulted to adverse impacts to the people of Obelle. According to the complaint, the impacts to the health and human rights of Obelle community began in February 1998 following an eruption at well 4, which caused gas fire. After burning for some weeks, Shell added some chemicals to control it. The chemicals were washed in the community’s aquifer, resulting in impacts on the people’s health.
The complaint further stated that apart from the impacts from the gas fire, Shell has continued to cause negative impacts due to non-stop gas flaring and occasional oil spills that affect people’s land, natural resources and livelihoods. They urged the Dutch National Contact Point, NCP, to mandate Shell to make public an EIA report conducted on the 1998 gas-fire eruption and its recommended mitigation measure as well as compensate the Obelle people who have been impacted by its operations, among others.
The community has vowed never to give up despite frustrations they face until justice is achieved.