Members from K-Dere, Kpor, Goi and Mogho communities in the Niger Delta have raised concern over the devastating impact of oil pollution in the communities, saying “oil has taken away our livelihoods”.
Speaking during Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) learning and sharing session on the usefulness of community monitoring, organizing and advocacy in Ogoni region recently, Chief Godwin from Goi told stories of how favourable the environment was to them in the past.
“I saw my parents harvesting tubers of yam that required the help of three people to pull out of the ground, but now, you can’t even find grasses anymore. Oil has taken away our livelihoods. We cannot fish or farm successfully anymore. You cannot find crabs or small fishes anymore. The air in Goi community is even hostile to the people. No hospital, road or even clean water. We are scared for our lives.”
Also, Julia Gaage, a 62 year old farmer from K-Dere lamented the damages on the land from pollution, saying land in the region can no more yield naturally except with the aid of fertilizer.
According to her, “We are forced to plant yams using fertilizer because of the damage done to our land by oil pollution. We know that fertilizer is not so good for our soul, but it is the only way we can make things grow in our circumstances. Before now we did not use fertilizer but today if you do not add these things you will not have a good yield and there will be nothing to live or feed on”
Director of HOMEF, Nnimmo Bassey during his address to the community people stressed the need to protect the environment. He stated that although oil has not been drilled in Ogoniland since 1993, oil still passes through the territory and it still remains one of the most polluted areas in the Niger Delta. He further stressed the need for solidarity and the need to rebuild their livelihoods.
“The Niger Delta region has been bastardized, yet these companies are attempting to divest and sell off their assets to indigenous companies without cleaning and remediating the environment and compensating the people for decades of rapacious exploitation. This learning session aims to empower community members to be ready to hold environmental destroyers accountable for the damages done. “ HOMEF’s Stephen Oduware, a project lead on networking and alliances charged community members to learn to task our political leaders who approach them for votes to begin to take issues of environmental pollution serious. “We should learn to hold them accountable when things are not going the right way and demand that they should come up with policies that will elevate the sufferings of the people.” He further tasked the people to regularly monitor the environment and note the changes that occur.