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Chevron’s Apoi North Wellhead Gas Explosion Rages spilling oil and Ruining Livelihoods

GPS Coordinates:  For Koluama 1 community: Elev 9m, N04°28.301’, E005°46.511’, About 300 metres to the burning site: Elev 9m, N04°21.984’, E005°46.360’

Koluama 1 and Koluama 2 are Ijaw communities in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State at the tip of the Atlantic Ocean. The people are mostly fisherfolks that derive their livelihood from the Ocean. ERA/FoEN Field monitors were in the community [Koluama 1] on the 18th of January, following information about a Chevron Gas Wellhead that exploded while a rig was working at the site on 16th January 2012.
When monitors arrived at the community, Chairman, Koluama Council of Chiefs, Chief Christian Munghanbofa-Akpele confirmed the incident and gave approval for some youths to lead the visitors to the site of interest in the Atlantic Ocean. Some testimonies and observations follow below.

 

Press Release

Removal is Scandalous, Unacceptable, ERA insists

The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has flayed the Federal Government’s removal of the so-called subsidy on petroleum products with effect from January 1, 2012, describing the decision as “complete insensitivity” to the articulated views of the Nigerian masses who insist the way to go is to fight corruption in the sector and to make the nation’s ailing refineries work.
The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), in a statement signed by its Executive Secretary, Reginald Stanley, had announced the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) on January 1, 2012, claiming the decision was informed by extensive consultation with stakeholders across the nation.
It also said that in the coming weeks, it will work with the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and engage stakeholders in further consultation to ensure the continuation of the exercise.
But in a statement denouncing the government move, ERA/FoEN insisted that the “sham” which the PPPRA dubbed national consultation on which it based the decision to remove the so-called subsidy was a crude smokescreen to usher in a new era of impoverishment for Nigerians.

 

Headliners

  • Nnimmo Bassey's interview with Democracy Now!

    Wednesday, 7th December 2011

    At Durban Summit, Leading African Activist Calls U.S. Emissions Stance "A Death Sentence for Africa"

    click here to view the interview

  • COP17 Global Day of Action

    Sunday, 4th December 2011

    Thousands of people marched on the streets of Durban on the 3rd day of December, marking the Global Day of Action for climate action.

    The action was carried out by Environmental Activists, social movements, Rights groups and citizens from around the world. The march covered a distance of close to 7 km and passed by  the International  Conference Centre where close to 200 nations are deliberating on efforts to fight climate change at COP17. They demanded that these negotiators at the UN climate change conference take serious the issues on climate change that is affecting the world already.

  • Wrong Climate for Damming Rivers

    Friday, 2nd December 2011

    Google Earth Tour Reveals How a Global Dam Boom Could Worsen the Climate Crisis

    International Rivers and Friends of the Earth International have teamed up to create a state-of-the-art Google Earth 3-D tour and video narrated by Nigerian activist Nnimmo Bassey, winner of the prestigious Right Livelihood Award. The production was launched on the first day of the COP 17 climate meeting in Durban. The video and tour allow viewers to explore why dams are not the right answer to climate change, by learning about topics such as reservoir emissions, dam safety, and adaptation while visiting real case studies in Africa, the Himalayas and the Amazon.

    Click on this link to watch the video

  • ERA Trains Journalists on Environmental Reporting in Enugu

    Tuesday, 4th October 2011

    In continuation of the engagement of journalists on environmental reporting, the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) organised the sixth in its series of training for journalists on environmental reporting funded by VIKES the Finnish Foundation on Media Communication and Development.

    The event drew attendance of 13 journalists from both electronic and print media organisations in Enugu State and was facilitated by a team of renowned journalists and environmentalists.

  • Will Rio + 20 Forget Rio?

    Tuesday, 4th October 2011

    As the world prepares for Rio+20 summit coming up in June 2012, civil society groups in Nigeria met with government and other interest groups to critically review the stakes.
    One of the major outcomes of the Nigerian Major Groups recommendation is that the concept of green economy should not replace sustainable development and advocated for social equity, economic sufficiency as a framework within which to pursue more sustainable production and consumption patterns.

 

Oil Politics

Oil Politics is a weekly newspaper column (www.234NEXT.com) in which Nnimmo Bassey rigorously examines issues relating to the extractive industries as well as other pressing socio-economic issues through the filter of justice.

Tell it to the President

The Nation-wide strike in Nigeria against petrol price hike, enters Day Four as this is being written. Nigerians woke up at the dawn of the New Year to learn that price of a litre of petrol had been jerked up by about one hundred and twenty per cent. Petrol now costs 141 Naira and 200 Naira (about one US dollar) per litre in an economy where the minimum wage is 18,000 Naira (about one hundred and ten US dollars). We note that even before the organised labour call out workers on strike, citizens had already hit the streets in protest against what they see as an insensitive and unacceptable action by the government. The response of government to the massive uprising has been rather worrisome. First of all the government presents a face that says there are no options to the move they have made. The speeches by the president and the many presentations by the governor of the Nigerian Central Bank, the ministers of Labour/Productivity, Petroleum Resources, Information and the Minister of Finance, remain persistently paternalistic and convey the message that they do not hear the dissensions across the nation. In moments of dramatic expression, the Minister of Petroleum Resources demonstrated on television how the government’s hands are tied on the matter of fighting the rot in the petroleum sector. It would be interesting to know why the government allows itself to be bound hand and foot by thieves!

 

 

Photo Speak
Disclaimer!

ERA has recently received information that a group calling itself the "Niger Delta Coalition in the Diaspora" is still engaging itself in activities and communications giving the impression that it is linked with Environmental Rights Action (ERA).

This group issues out communications using ERA's headquarter address and mail box. We have never had any ties with this group and any views, comments or opinions expressed by them is not endorsed or authorized by any member of management or staff of ERA.

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