New Wave of Oil Spills Alarms Niger Delta, Advocacy Group Warns of “Era of Exploitation Without Redress”

A sharp increase in oil and gas spills has been reported across Rivers State in Nigeria’s Niger Delta, raising serious environmental and safety concerns.

The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) identified recent incident points in the Bille Kingdom (Degema LGA), Kpean Community (Khana LGA), and Oshi community (Ahoada West LGA).

YEAC-Nigeria’s Executive Director, Dumnamene Fyneface, linked the surge to the transfer of oil assets from multinational corporations to indigenous companies.

He warned that communities now face a “worst of oil pollution regime,” citing obsolete and decaying infrastructure.

He further argued that local communities have less legal recourse, as they cannot pursue Indigenous Oil Companies in foreign courts as they once did with multinationals.

Specific incidents highlighted include: a persistent gas leak in Bille Kingdom, with thousands of bubbles emerging from land and water for over six weeks, which authorities have yet to address despite community appeals.

Another major oil spill at Oil Well 14 in the Yorla Oil Field (OML 11) in Kpean community, described as exceeding previous incidents and damaging local ecosystems.

Also, there is a newly reported gas leakage in the Oshi Community River.

YEAC-Nigeria condemned the apparent inaction by authorities and facility operators, demanding immediate investigations, containment efforts, and the replacement of aging pipelines.

The group also called for compensation to affected communities as stipulated by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.

The advocacy centre expressed particular concern about new pollution in Ogoniland, where cleanup efforts for past contamination are still underway, warning oil companies to prioritize environmental protection.

While the report did not specify causes for the recent spills, it noted that pipeline protection firms have simultaneously reported zero breaches on the Trans Niger Pipeline due to heightened surveillance.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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