Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Indigenes of the Nembe-Okiori communities in Bayelsa State have raised urgent concerns over the devastating impact of oil pollution on their environment, warning that decades of contamination have triggered a sharp and potentially irreversible decline in seafood resources that once sustained their livelihoods. The communities, located within the Nembe-Okiori oilfield area, said species such as lobsters, bonga fish, periwinkle and other aquatic resources are becoming increasingly scarce due to pollution of rivers, creeks and mangrove ecosystems caused by oil exploration activities.
Speaking during a three-day leadership training programme organised by Anatolia Energy and Services Limited in Yenagoa on Tuesday, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Nembe-Okiori Host Communities Development Trust (HCDT), Chief Isaiah Youngdede, lamented that the environmental degradation had already adversely affected fishing activities, the major source of income for residents. Youngdede explained that the eight communities that host the Nembe-Okiori oilfield are predominantly fishing settlements situated in waterlogged terrain and are vulnerable to seasonal flooding and coastal erosion.
According to him, the environmental challenges have been compounded by recurring pollution incidents, which have damaged aquatic habitats and reduced fish populations in the area. He noted that the pollution of mangrove forests, which serve as breeding and nursery grounds for many fish species, has disrupted the natural migration patterns of aquatic life, making it increasingly difficult for fishermen to record meaningful catches. “The mangrove ecosystem is very important to our people because it serves as a natural habitat for many species of fish and seafood. Once those mangroves are polluted, the fishes can no longer migrate into those areas to breed as they used to. The result is what we are experiencing today – declining fish stocks and increasing hardship for local fishermen,” Youngdede said.
He expressed concern that many families who depend on fishing for survival are now struggling to make ends meet due to dwindling catches and declining incomes. “Our communities are exposed to a lot of pollution from the neighbouring oilfields. You have widespread environmental degradation and polluted surroundings. The people are unable to catch periwinkle, lobsters and bonga fish in the mangroves as they used to. Many families are now merely surviving from hand to mouth,” he added.
The HCDT chairman also questioned the adequacy of the three per cent Host Community Development Fund provided under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), describing it as insufficient to address the extensive environmental and developmental challenges confronting host communities. He called on development partners, international donor agencies and environmental organisations to support community-led initiatives aimed at restoring degraded ecosystems, improving livelihoods and enhancing climate resilience in the area. According to him, external funding and technical support would help bridge existing gaps in environmental remediation, shoreline protection and economic empowerment programmes for affected residents.
Participants at the leadership training programme also stressed the need for stronger collaboration among host communities, government agencies and oil firms to tackle environmental degradation and promote sustainable development in the Niger Delta. The training focused on strengthening leadership capacity, community participation and effective management of resources within host community development structures established under the Petroleum Industry Act.
The communities’ concerns are not unfounded. Just weeks ago, a crude pipeline rupture near Ikensi in Nembe Local Government Area sent oil flowing freely into drinking water and fishing grounds, according to a Vanguard report on May 12, 2026. Fishermen in Ikensi community noticed the sheen on the creek at about 6:45 a.m. and realised that an underwater crude oil pipeline, belonging to Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Limited, was leaking. “Crude oil is still flowing into our waterways,” said Chief Clarkson Obiakpa, a traditional leader in Opu Nembe Kingdom. “No response team has arrived. Our rivers, fishing grounds, and drinking sources are already being affected.”
The spill followed a catastrophic marine spill along the Atlantic coastline near Okpoama, Diema and Twon-Brass in Brass Local Government Area, where a burst hose during a crude transfer between a vessel and a tanker owned by Aiteo reportedly sent large volumes of oil surging into the sea. The spill smothered the waters, choking aquatic biodiversity and devastating the nets of local fishermen. Chief Edwin Otiete-Goli, chairman of the Community Development Committee in Okpoama, said: “This spill has devastated our waters and our means of livelihood. Our fishing grounds are polluted, and our ecosystem is under serious threat. We call for immediate accountability, full remediation, and justice for our people who depend entirely on these waters for survival.”
The area has been a patchwork of ecological wounds since Aiteo took over operatorship of OML 29 from Shell Petroleum Development Company in 2015. None cuts deeper than the Santa Barbara Well 1 blowout on November 1, 2021, which spewed crude oil and gas uncontrollably for 38 agonising days. Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, called it one of the worst environmental disasters in the Niger Delta, comparing its magnitude only to the infamous Gulf of Mexico spill. Now, with two more spills in quick succession, residents feel they are living in the eye of the storm. “We’re tired of being forgotten,” one fisherman in Okpoama said. “If the water dies, we die with it.”
No official statement from the oil firm or the national oil spill regulator had been released as of press time, but it was learned that a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) involving the operator, regulator and community representatives took place on Saturday to ascertain the cause of the latest leak. As the communities of Nembe-Okiori watch their livelihoods drown, one question haunts them: how many more spills must occur before the promises of cleanup and accountability are finally kept?
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