By David Owei

The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) on Tuesday demanded urgent cleanup, compensation and accountability over an oil spill at Nembe Creek in Bayelsa.
The spill occurred on Aug. 22 during crude oil loading operations at Oil Mining Lease (OML) 29.
The operational mishap disrupted fishing activities and threatened the livelihoods of coastal communities.
The facility is operated by Nembe Exploration and Production Ltd., formerly Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Ltd., within Oil Mining Lease 29 (OML 29).
HOMEF made the call after a field visit to the affected area, where crude oil was observed in waterways and along mangrove banks.
The organisation said the pungent smell of crude was noticeable about two kilometres before reaching the community.
It added that residents reported tidal movements had spread the pollution through interconnected waterways and fishing settlements.
According to HOMEF, affected communities depend heavily on fishing for food and income.
Residents reportedly complained of damaged fishing nets, reduced fish catches and inability to use the waterways for fishing and domestic purposes.
They also reported the disappearance of aquatic resources following the pollution.
Vice-Chairlady of Nembe Creek women, Mrs Love Mark, said the spill had made fishing nets unusable.
“We cannot go out with our fishing nets and hooks for fishing again,” Mark said.
She said a fishing net now cost between N150,000 and N170,000, making replacement difficult for affected residents.
The Paramount Ruler of Nembe Creek communities, HRH Agent Waya, said repeated pollution had severely affected fishing livelihoods.
“Due to the destruction of aquatic life, there are no fish in the river,” Waya said.
He said fishermen could use two or three canoes and still return without any catch.
Following the incident, community women reportedly protested at the oil facility, demanding cleanup, damage assessment and support for affected residents.
The Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) concluded that the leak was due to operational failure.
HOMEF, however, said the volume of crude released and the full geographical extent of the pollution remained inconclusive as of Sept. 1.
The Executive Director of HOMEF, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, said identifying the cause of a spill should not end the accountability process.
Bassey said the latest incident occurred against the background of previous pollution incidents associated with OML 29.
He specifically cited the prolonged 2021 Santa Barbara Well 1 spill and wellhead blowout.
He emphasised that recurring spills should be treated as a systemic environmental governance concern rather than isolated incidents.
HOMEF urged Nembe Exploration and Production Ltd., the Bayelsa Government and relevant federal regulatory agencies to publish the complete JIV findings.
It said the findings should include the cause, estimated volume, geographical extent and communities affected by the spill.
The organisation also demanded an independent and comprehensive environmental assessment of affected waterways, mangroves, fishing grounds and settlements.
HOMEF called for immediate cleanup and ecological restoration, with clear timelines and transparent monitoring mechanisms.
It also demanded urgent relief for affected households, particularly fishing families whose livelihoods had been disrupted.
The organisation called for compensation for verified livelihood and economic losses, including damaged fishing equipment and lost fishing time.
It further urged authorities to include all affected communities and fishing camps in JIVs, damage assessments, cleanup and monitoring.
HOMEF called for sustained environmental and health monitoring of water, sediments, fish and other aquatic organisms.
It also urged the strengthening of spill prevention and emergency response systems around crude-loading facilities.
The foundation said authorities must address the wider legacy of pollution in OML 29 rather than treat each incident separately.
HOMEF also called for protection of community fishing livelihoods from the wider operational activities associated with crude loading.
It cited the impacts of navigational buoys and vessel movements on fishing grounds and equipment.
The organisation said communities should not continue to bear the environmental and economic costs of oil extraction amid limited accountability.
HOMEF urged authorities and the operator to move beyond emergency responses and strengthen pollution prevention and transparent investigations.
It also called for meaningful community participation, ecological restoration and livelihood recovery as integral parts of environmental governance in Nembe.
The foundation said the people of Nembe Creek deserved clean waterways, protected livelihoods and environmental justice.
Public Affairs officials at Nembe Exploration and Production have kept mum over the incident and declined to provide requisite updates on containment efforts.

By David Owei,Bayelsa

A civil society organisation in Rivers State on the aegis of LightHope Succor Worldwide Initiative has challenged reports alleging that 37 persons died after inhaling suspected toxic fumes at Okari Jetty in Okrika Mainland, Rivers State, describing the claim as unverified and urging media organisations to disregard it until credible evidence emerged.

The organisation, in a statement issued on Friday, said its preliminary enquiries failed to establish the occurrence of the alleged mass-casualty incident, which reportedly happened at the jetty on September 3, 2026.

According to LightHope, it sought clarification from senior authorities of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Army responsible for the area, and was informed that no such incident was recorded at Okari Jetty on the date in question.

The statement was apparently in response to a report making the rounds in some print and electronic media, claiming that not fewer than 37 suspected oil thieves had died after inhaling toxic substance in the course of stealing petroleum products from a pipeline taping point at the jetty.

One of the reports had alleged that the incident occurred at about midnight on Thursday, September 3, during an illegal operation to load petroleum products from a pipeline tapping point into waiting boats.

The organisation claimed that the youths inhaled the product while it was being pumped at high pressure, resulting in the deaths of at least 37 persons, while several others were allegedly still missing.

It also claimed that some corpses had been seen floating on the river but had yet to be recovered and called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to conduct a Joint Investigation Visit to the alleged site.

It urged companies whose facilities were allegedly vandalised to strengthen security around their pipelines.
But LightHope said its preliminary investigation had been unable to independently establish the veracity of the reported fatalities.

It therefore called on the originators of the report to produce verifiable evidence capable of substantiating the claim, while urging media organisations to apply appropriate editorial checks before reproducing allegations involving the loss of human lives.

The group, however, cautioned that its position should not be interpreted as a denial of the serious environmental and security challenges associated with oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta.

Rather, it said, the issue was about accuracy, responsible advocacy and evidence-based reporting.

LightHope maintained that unverified reports of mass deaths could create unnecessary public anxiety and undermine credible efforts to address the region’s longstanding environmental and security challenges.

“The conflicting accounts have raised questions that could only be conclusively resolved through an independent investigation by relevant authorities”, it stated, insisting that the reported 37 deaths should not be presented as established fact without credible evidence.

The organisation reaffirmed its commitment to community welfare, environmental responsibility, public safety and credible advocacy in the Niger Delta.

However, security agencies in the state including the Nigeria Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC have in separate reactions confirmed that some oil thieves actually lost their lives at a pipeline taping point at the Okrika Jetty where they had gone to “steal crude oil”.

According to Agabe Blessing, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Rivers Police command, though the command was yet to receive any official complaint on the incident as at Friday afternoon, investigation was on to ascertain the number of suspects who died in the incident.

By David Owei

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) on Tuesday participated actively in the Africa Local Content Programme, a key event at the ongoing Africa Oil Week held in Accra, Ghana.

Africa Oil Week (AOW 2026) is a leading international conference, networking, and exhibition programme focused on Africa’s oil, gas, and upstream energy sector. The event brings together industry leaders, governments, regulators, investors, and service providers to develop policy, share discoveries, secure investment, and shape the continent’s energy future

The Africa Local Content Programme themed “Building African Capacity, Competitiveness and Collaboration Across the Upstream Value Chain,” was organised in partnership with the NCDMB, the African Union (AU) and the Petroleum Commission Ghana. The programme featured high-level discussions aimed at advancing African capacity, competitiveness and collaboration across the upstream value chain.

The Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe delivered the opening remarks at the event, speaking on the theme, “From Resource Ownership to Industrial Power.”

He was represented by the Director, Corporate Services, NCDMB, Dr. Abdulmalik Halilu, who highlighted the need for African countries to move beyond resource ownership and focus on building sustainable industrial capacity, creating greater value from their natural resources and positioning African businesses to compete globally.

He stressed that “local content frameworks must promote the development and utilization of African cross border capacities for the industrialization of Africa.”

He further identified local content value proposition to includeresearch and technology development, local employment, strategic partnerships, ownership and control of assets, supply chain optimization, sustainable operations, increase production and utilization of locally made good and contributions to gross domestic product (GDP).

The Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, NCDMB, Mr. Ajimijaye Omomehin, participated in discussions on “Harmonising and Standardising Technology and Policy: Driving Change through the Brazzaville Accord,” which focused on the importance of policy and technology alignment in driving regional energy development.

Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, General Manager, Corporate Communications Division, moderated the session on “Market Entry Insights: Unlocking Africa’s Most Compelling Upstream Opportunities,” while Dr. Hailu joined other industry stakeholders as a panelist to discuss the strategies and enablers that will accelerate investment in Africa’s upstream oil and gas sector. The discussants agreed that local content can be used to attract investments and lower the cost of operations, while Africa oil producers must ensure stability of regulations in their jurisdictions, while taking other steps will attract investment capital.

NCDMB officials also featured in several strategic sessions, contributing the Board’s experience and perspectives on critical issues shaping the future of Africa’s energy industry.

Mr. Erefagha Turner, Assistant Manager Planning, Research and Statistics contributed to discussions on “Unlocking Capital for African Content Growth,” with emphasis on creating financing pathways to support the growth of indigenous businesses across the continent. He described the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund (NCI Fund) as a successful financing model that has helped service companies to grow capacities.

Engr. Dokubo Obongo, Manager Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building contributed to the session on “Investing in Talent: Building Africa’s Energy Workforce,” highlighting the importance of skills development and investment in human capital as essential

requirements for building a globally competitive African energy workforce.