LOCATION: Lasuku Gbene, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Bayelsa State.

Lasuku Gbene is an Ijaw community in Boma clan of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.  A trip to the community from the State Capital, Yenagoa, takes about two hours by speed boat through the rivers and creeks. It is situated along the River Nun, with Peremabiri and Baberegbene as close neighbours.

The community can only be accessed by boat or aircraft. The major occupations of the people are fishing and farming. ERA  monitors visited the town as a result of an oil spill that occurred in the area on February 23rd 2008. The spill emanated from Agip's Brass/Tededaba pipeline which passes through their land.

On arrival at Lasuku Gbene, ERA monitors established contact with the Paramount ruler, Chief Franel Christian Akenika and the Chairman of the Community Development Committee (CDC), Mr Famous Ezekiel. According to them, the community has been disheartened because of the oil spill that destroyed their farms, fish ponds and rivulets; killing fish and other animals found in the affected area.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Shell's Manifold blows out in July, 2007
• Shell scoops crude but refuses to cleanup till date.

INTRODUCTION
Ikarama, located in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, is a community of subsistence fishing and farming people whose livelihoods depend primarily on their environment. It plays host to Shell's Okordia manifold. One feature it shares with so many other host communities in the Niger Delta region is the plethora of spill sites that dots its landscape.

 

LOCATION: Opuama, Eniwari, Aguobiri and other Communities along the Silver River in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Large scale pollution of the environment of several communities.

• Failed pipeline had ruptured at same spot earlier. 

Location:    Ikot Ada Udo Community, Ikot Abasi LGA, Akwa Ibom State

HIGHLIGHTS
•    “Corked” oil wellhead belonging to Shell spewing crude for almost 6 months.
•    Large expanses of farmlands destroyed
 

INTRODUCTION
Ikot Ada Udo, a quiet community in Ikot Abasi Local Government area of Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria, is located N 4° 41′and E 7° 40.9′. The inhabitants are predominantly farmers and farm produce traders who largely depend on their arable farmlands as their major source of livelihood.
It plays host to, among others, the oil wellhead located within its Otuoh Ntan farmlands. The wellhead belongs to Shell Petroleum Development Company

Location: Obama Flow station, Nembe LGA, Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Summary
A spill at the Obama Flow Station has led to the destruction of the environment and means of livelihood of the affected people in over ten communities. The spill occurred on 10 September 2007.

Crude oil from the flow station now floats on the Tereke River in Nembe / Ogbia Local Government Areas of Bayelsa State, including adjoining creeks. Dead fish and wilting vegetation line river banks.

A delegation of the Bayelsa State Government, led by the secretary to the State Government, Hon. Dr. Bolere Ketebu-Nwokeafor, visited affected communities in the last week of September, 2007 and promised relief materials amongst others. The State National Emergency Management Authority boss also promised to send report to appropriate quarters to secure relief for victims.

The severe impact has led to an exodus of community people from the area.

Subject: The Wrong Right Steps of Shell (Story of a persistent spill)
Location: Ikarama. Bayelsa State

INTRODUCTION
ERA monitors visited the Ikarama community on 4 September 2007 and sometime within the next 10 days Shell and her contractors went to the area with the objective of cleaning up the spill. However, we can confirm that they only attempted to clear the crude that was spilled into the community river. The crude spewed into the bush, farms and ponds have not been cleaned up.

Taylor Creek is now dotted with islands of floating crude, especially where trapped by water lilies (acting as boom) in Zarama Nyambiri and Epie – Zarama Water fronts.

The affected communities include: Ikarama, Kalaba, Agbobiri, Epie Zarama, and Zarama Nyambiri. The Taylor Creek runs through all the above towns. The impact may spread.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Storage Tank collapses in Warri refinery, spewing its contents into Ubeji creeks
• Fire outbreak damages fragile ecosystems, livelihoods
• Refinery officials had enough time to prevent the outbreak of the fire

 

 

HIGHLIGHTS

• Oil Spills and fires erupt along the Trans-Niger pipeline owned by Shell in Gokana Local government area of Rivers State•   
• Five different points of spill and fire along the pipeline route identified
• Helicopter suspected to be from Shell seen hovering around the spill sites
• Communities call on government and Shell to provide relief materials to ease the impact of the spill

HIGHLIGHTS

• Multiple Oil spills have been left uncleaned for over 7 months
• People live and sleep within 10 meters from the spill
• Shell has footdragged cleanup despite obvious and immediate danger to community  

About Biseni
Biseni, located 5.14 degrees north 6.31 degrees east, is an Ijaw oil bearing community in the Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. Shell Petroleum and Development Company, was the first company to prospect for oil within the community in the early seventies, it was closely followed by Nig Agip Oil Company in the eighties. Today, the community is host to some 78 oil wells and several clusters..