Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
On May 14, 2020, the National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), after weeks of investigation, announced what it considered the reason behind the death of many fishes along the shoreline of coastal communities in Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers states.
Director-general of NOSDRA, Idris Olubola Musa, said toxins discharged into the ocean were responsible for the multitude death of the fish. And in a declaration intended to put to rest the activities of oil exploration companies in the death of the fishes, he insisted that the toxicity found in the dead fishes and water samples was caused by pollution from heavy metals from industrial and domestic wastes.
He said other relevant Federal Government agencies, including Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR), National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and Federal Institute for Fisheries Research, were parts of the investigations that ruled out oil pollution as the source of the death: “The results of the laboratory tests were perused, and we make explanation on the parameters of concerns that were analysed for the purpose of clarity and understanding. The findings did not show hydrocarbons (oil) as the possible cause of the death of the fishes.
“In the course of the anaiyses, Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH), Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAR), Benzene, Toluene Ethylene and Xylene (BTEX) were within regulatory standard limits in water, sediments and fish tissue analyses. The plausible causes could partially be attributable to other human-related pollution activities, which were based on land.
“In this case, while it is commonly observed that most industrial and domestic wastes, which contain heavy metals such as cadmium, iron, zinc, copper found their ways into drainages and onward transfer to the water bodies.
“Their deleterious impact may be negative to aquatic species, other mammals and human beings. The main sources of these are batteries, galvanised pipes, fertilisers, sewage sludge and plastics. Such may be the case in the analyses of dead fishes found at the coastline in Delta and Bayelsa states, where chromium was found in fish tissue.”
However, rather make the anger in the region abate, NOSDRA further fuelled suspicions of a cover-up. Furoebi Akene, chairman, board of trustees, Centre for Environmental Preservation and Development (CEPAD), picked holes in the investigation NOSDRA said it conducted, claiming it was not transparent. He wondered why NOSDRA brought on board government agencies during the investigations but left out governments of the affected states: “Are the governments of the states whose citizens suffer the impacts that may result to likely epidemics not good enough to be stakeholders to collaborate with in this investigation? The likelihood of some sinister motives is not ruled out.
“I wish to let everybody know that NOSDRA doesn’t have any laboratory. So, all their exploits are done by their hired consultants. I will implore the DG to make public the laboratory where the analyses took place. There are some government agencies that have well equipped laboratories including universities and research institutes, so why not use the synergy of government agencies?”
A visit to Sangana, a coastal community in Akassa, Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, where dead fishes were seen by environmentalists from the Environmental Rights Action and Friends of the Earth (ERA/FoEN), Ministry of Environment, and NOSDRA was an eye-opener that the people were not satisfied with the outcome of investigation released by NOSDRA. The people wondered why a delegation from the Bayelsa State House of Assembly and from the state government has not visited the community before now to ascertain the true state of things.
Chief Moses Jonathan Owei said: “Actually, it is a fact that we have some environmental issues at the Sangana Shoreline. This happened for about one or two months. And this has caused a lot of impediments as our main occupation is fishing. People are afraid to go to the sea because we believe the fish has been polluted. This has been our concern, the indigenes.
“We are part of this country but when certain things are happening, most of us don’t hear because we are far from the government. When we experienced this strange phenomenon of dead fishes, this community wrote a letter to the Ministry of Environment telling them about our problems.
“It would be a good development if the National Assembly will actually look into this matter. The state government would need to take quick actions because these are environmental issues and we don’t know what might happen the next day.”
Mr Benjamin Ayibakuro, former chairman, Community Development Committee, recalled how some people from the community came back with a large catch of fishes which immediately raised suspicion:
“Government would need to take the issue serious as the people are living in fear. Each time things like these happen and community reports to government; there has been no good response from government.
“And so, when such attitude of government becomes persistent, community would be demoralised and just fold their hands and watch. It is the same government we have been going to daily, reporting daily. They will be telling us, ‘write us formally’, but all to no avail.
“To the state and federal legislators, sometimes, when we go into it, especially the State House of Assembly. They would always tell us, ‘this is not within the ambit of our Assembly.’ And so, it is a message, which must be passed to the National Assembly.
“We are sending the message across to the National Assembly. Each time these things happen, they should feel concerned; particularly with the communities these things are happening because we sent them there. Whatever thing they are doing there should be for the interest of the community they are representing.
“They should take this as a point of duty to make sure that the communities that are affected, particularly Sangana be relieved from such negative impacts. We want the National Assembly to come to our aid and make sure that there is change in the environment so as to prevent such negative occurrences in the future.
“There is need for our representatives at the National Assembly to initiate steps that would lead to identifying the cause of fishes dying in such great numbers.
The National Assembly should come up with effective, enforceable laws that would protect the interest of communities suffering oil industry induced pollution.”
Alagoa Morris on behalf of ERA/FoEN demanded: “The Bayelsa State Government should rise up to the occasion and do the needful, as thisis a public health and livelihood related matter that cannot be left unattended to. The state government should show more commitment in practical terms to environmental issues; especially as the state was pronounced in 2014 as most polluted state in the Niger Delta by NOSDRA.
“The National Assembly members, especially those representing Bayelsa and other impacted states like Delta and Rivers should raise the issue for the desired attention. The Federal Government should set up a team of professionals to carry out comprehensive investigation of this incident; covering all affected states in the Niger Delta.
“Those representing the communities in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly should be visible in terms of effective representation. At times like this, there should be official visits to communities to feel the pulse of the people and make government appear close to the people.”