The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has called on the Federal Government, regulatory agencies and Shell Nigeria to urgently address the environmental damage and livelihood losses allegedly caused by abandoned oil wells in Ikono and Ibiono Ibom Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State.
HOMEF made the call during a capacity-sharing dialogue under its Fossil Politics project held in Ikot Enua community, Ikono LGA, where residents, traditional rulers, women and youths from eight affected communities recounted decades of environmental degradation and economic losses.
The organisation said the oil wells were drilled and capped by Shell in the 1950s after they were considered commercially unviable.
Although oil extraction is no longer taking place in the affected communities, residents said the abandoned infrastructure and legacy pollution continue to affect farming, fishing, water sources and other livelihoods.
According to HOMEF, communities including Ikot Enua, Uyo Afaha Nkan, Adara Abom, Ikot Idaha, Edem Udua, Ediene Atai, Ntan Mbat and Nkara Obio reported declining crop yields, destruction of economic trees, polluted streams, loss of fish and other aquatic species, damaged property and insecurity.
Speaking at the dialogue, Chief Felix Vincent Udoh of Ikot Enua said oil palm seedlings were dying and agricultural productivity had declined, while some species previously common in the community had disappeared.
Udoh also raised concerns about insecurity around the abandoned oil infrastructure, alleging that armed men suspected to be militants had visited the area to steal from the facilities.
He further claimed that Ikot Enua secured judgments against Shell at the High Court and Court of Appeal in 2013, but that the company had yet to comply with the decisions.
In Uyo Afaha Nkan, Barrister Trust Udoh said oil pollution had contaminated community water sources and affected farming.
“We can’t plant in my farm anymore,” he said, while calling for the removal of the abandoned oil installation to enable residents to regain access to their farmlands.
Other community members reported declining fishing activities, destruction of economic trees, poor crop yields, polluted streams and rapidly deteriorating corrugated roofing sheets, which they attributed to the environmental impacts in their communities.
HOMEF Executive Director, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, said the situation demonstrated the long-term environmental and social costs of oil extraction.
“The money needed to clean up pollution in the Niger Delta is more than the money the oil companies have generated. Abandonment cannot be the final stage of extraction,” Bassey said.
He said oil companies’ responsibility should continue beyond the period of commercial interest in a resource, stressing that affected lands must be restored and communities heard.
Bassey also called for an end to what he described as a cycle of extractive harm, arguing that communities should not be left with pollution, livelihood losses and inadequate infrastructure after oil resources have been explored.
According to him, the experiences of communities in Ikono and Ibiono Ibom underscore the need to place environmental restoration and community rights at the centre of decisions concerning petroleum infrastructure.
HOMEF urged Shell, the Federal Government, regulatory agencies and the Akwa Ibom State Government to ensure compliance with the 2013 Court of Appeal decision in suit CA/C/70/2011 and address outstanding environmental issues linked to the abandoned Ikono 1 oil well.
The organisation also called for the assessment, decommissioning and removal of abandoned oil wells and hazardous infrastructure; comprehensive cleanup and ecological restoration; compensation for affected individuals and communities; investigation of reported health concerns; and long-term environmental monitoring.
It further urged the authorities to ensure meaningful community participation in decisions on environmental assessment, remediation and restoration, while supporting sustainable farming, fishing, ecological restoration and other non-extractive livelihoods.
HOMEF said abandoning commercially unviable oil wells should not amount to abandoning environmental responsibility, insisting that affected communities in Ikono and Ibiono Ibom should have their lands and waters restored.
