Ibeno: A Community Grappling With Environmental Disaster

Along the riverbanks of Ibeno Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State, a once-thriving communi­ty is being steadily eroded by envi­ronmental degradation after more than six decades of oil exploration and gas flaring. Once renowned for its abundant marine life and fertile farmlands, Ibeno now bears the scars of continuous oil pollution, leaving its inhabitants struggling to survive amidst the toxic after­math of oil spills. The latest disas­ter occurred on Friday, August 16, 2024, when a spill contaminated the waters, killed aquatic life, and worsened the already damaged envi­ronment. This was followed by a gas explosion that spewed toxic fumes into the air for over three hours.

The oil spill, like many before it, has become a haunting echo of neglect, both by the oil companies and the government institutions responsible for overseeing environ­mental safety. Such neglect for hu­man lives and environment could be confirmed from a response by the

Engr. Melvis Odobo, the Zonal Coordinator of National Oil Spill Detection & Response Agency (NOS­DRA), on September 16, 2024, thirty days after the spill, said that; There would be an official statement from the Agency when the investigation is concluded. Samples are being an­alysed in the laboratory”.

Meanwhile, Engr. Chukwuemeka Woke, the Director General of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), who personally conducted an assessment visit to the affected communities, pledged, “Let me assure you on be­half of President Bola Tinubu that this administration is committed to protecting our environment and our community. Our mission is to identify the source of the spill, and if ExxonMobil is found responsible, we will ensure that they fulfill their obligations”. He explained, “I had suggested a commitment to prompt­ly identify the spiller, clean of the spill and free people from pollution.

To draw attention of relevant authorities to the need to urgently clean up the spills which, accord­ing to the village head of Mkpanak, Obong Dennis Esenem, had been driven by water current into the creeks, stakeholders and the people of Ibeno Local Government have continued to cry out for help. The Transition Committee Chairman, Ibeno Local Government Area, Hon Emmanuel Ibok in a letter dated September 12, 2024 and addressed to the Director General of NOSDRA appealed for a release of the finger print analysis to facilitate clean-up.

With voices seemingly lost in the vast machinery of bureaucracy and corporate interests; the people lament; We Are A Forgotten People”

Hon. Emmanuel Ibok, the Chair­man of Ibeno Local Government Area, expresses the frustration of a people who feel abandoned. “Ibeno is a minority tribe, and therefore, we have no one to speak for us. We have suffered for many decades from en­vironmental degradation, and it has had severe harmful impacts on our people,” he says. His voice trembles as he recounts the countless letters sent to the relevant authorities, only to be met with silence or inaction.

“The last oil spill occurred, NOS­DRA (National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency) came, took samples, and nothing has been done till today. I am calling on the Interna­tional Oil Companies (IOCs), NOS­DRA, and even the state government to do something about the cleanup in Ibeno,” he pleads. But despite his efforts, the spill remains unad­dressed, leaving his people to grap­ple with the toxic environment that surrounds them.

For decades, the people of Ibeno have depended on fishing and farm­ing for their livelihoods. However, the ongoing pollution has crippled both industries. The President-Gen­eral of the Akwa Ibom Oil Produc­ing Community Development Net­work (AKIPCON), Dr. Ufot Phenson, highlights the severity of the situa­tion. “Akwa Ibom’s environment has been badly polluted. Toxic pollution, oil spills, if something is not done urgently, we may lose the environ­ment completely. We need to protect it; it’s a critical factor of human rights,” he warns.

Fishing, once the lifeblood of the Ibeno people, is no longer viable. “Today, the fishermen borrow mon­ey to buy petrol and head out to the sea, only to return empty-handed. Oil floats on the water, and if it traps their nets, it drags them to the sea­bed. They come back with nothing but loss and disappointment,” says Dr. Phenson. The absence of fish and other seafood has driven prices up, making it difficult for families to afford even the basics.

The law is clear, Dr. Phenson ar­gues: “The NOSDRA Act 2011 states that if you spill, you compensate and clean up. It’s a universally accepted policy, yet the victims are neither compensated nor is the environ­ment cleaned. How long can we en­dure this injustice?”

For Esenem and his people, the spill is not just an environmental issue; it is a question of survival. “This oil seeps into our creeks, contaminating the water we drink. We cannot dig boreholes because the water table is deep and rocky. Instead, we buy water from other communities to drink and cook. Imagine living in an oil-producing community, yet being unable to drink your own water,” he laments.

The desperation is palpable as Esenem speaks about the economic hardships facing his people. “We are born fishermen. But now, we can no longer fish. Even when we do, the lit­tle we catch is tainted by oil, making it unsafe to eat. How can we survive like this?” he asks his voice heavy with frustration and despair.

While the men face the direct consequences of the oil spills in their fishing expeditions, the wom­en and children of Ibeno suffer in other ways. Obonganwan Eta Ibok, a leader among the women in Ibeno, describes the devastating impact on their lives. “When the sea is pollut­ed, the women have nothing to sell in the market. We depend on seafood for our livelihood, and without it, we cannot provide for our children,” she explains.

The oil spills have left many fam­ilies in poverty, with children being the most vulnerable. “The water is so contaminated that we cannot drink it, and it is dangerous for cook­ing. Imagine raising children in a place where even the water can kill you,” Ibok says, her voice trembling with anger. “Mobil and the govern­ment continue to deny responsibil­ity, but we are the ones suffering. What will it take for them to act?”

For fishermen like Effiong Ika, who has spent his entire life at sea, the oil spill represents not just the loss of income but the erosion of an identity. “When the oil spill occurs, we can’t get fish. It happens almost every year, but nobody does any­thing about it. In the past, we would clean the oil ourselves, but now, it’s too much for us,” he says.

Ika recalls the times when the community came together to block Mobil’s operations in protest, but those efforts have yielded no results. “We blocked them for almost a week, but nothing changed. His words paint a picture of a community at the mercy of corporate giants and a government that seems indifferent to their plight.

Evangelist Imaobong Joe, a wom­en activist and community member, expresses the deep sense of betrayal felt by the people of Ibeno. “It’s like a mother cooking for her children, only to give the food to strangers while her own children starve. We have the sea, but we can’t fish. We have the land, but we can’t farm. What are we left with?” she asks.

For Joe, the ongoing oil pollution is more than just an environmental disaster; it is a moral outrage. “This is our land, our heritage, and it is be­ing destroyed right before our eyes. We cannot sit idly by and watch our children grow up in a toxic waste­land. Something must be done, and it must be done now,” she asserts.

With Exxonmobil promptly de­nying responsibility for the spill as could be recalled in a statement issued on Tuesday August 20, 2024, by Mr. Ogechukwu Udeagha, Exxon­Mobil’s Regional Communications Manager for Africa,, that; “There has been no release of oil from any of our facilities. We are not the only operator in the area”, it rests on NOSDRA to facilitate its analysis to identify the spiller and bring justice to the polluted communities.

In the meantime, the people of Ibeno continue to fight for their right to live in a clean and safe environment. Despite numerous protests, legal battles, and pleas for assistance, the community remains trapped in a cycle of environmental devastation and economic hardship. The oil companies deny responsibil­ity, and the government offers little in the way of support.

Yet, the people of Ibeno refuse to give up. Their struggle is not just for compensation or cleanup; it is a fight for survival, for justice, and for the future of their children. As the oil spills continue to wreak havoc on their environment, the community’s cries grow louder, demanding that the world pay attention to the silent disaster unfolding on their shores.