The Niger Delta region is currently facing a mounting environmental and health crisis, stemming from the numerous abandoned oil wells and derelict infrastructures left by multinational oil companies. This worrying trend is particularly pronounced in Akwa Ibom State, where over 32 oil wells have been left unattended, raising serious concerns among local communities in areas such as Oko, Okoroette, and Utapete.

The situation is equally grave in the onshore oilfield of Oloibiri in Bayelsa State’s Ogbia Local Government Area. Here, about 21.26 million barrels of hydrocarbons lie in a state of neglect, posing a severe risk to the surrounding ecosystem.

Dr Nninmo Bassey, an environmental expert, has voiced his concerns about the state of these facilities. According to him, numerous well-heads, manifolds, flow stations, and pipelines across the Niger Delta need urgent decommissioning and removal, having remained unused and unattended for decades. Bassey emphasized the dire consequences these derelict facilities pose, including ecosystem impacts, groundwater contamination, and threats to human health.

He criticized the International Oil Companies (IOCs) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for their failure to adhere to Nigerian laws and regulations that demand proper decommissioning and removal of all unused oil facilities, as per international standards.

According to a report by Daily Post, Bassey described the situation as ticking time bombs, already beginning to detonate. He cited the blowout of Aiteo’s Nembe/Santa Barbara Well-1 in the Santa Barbara River, Bayelsa State, which lasted for 39 days and resulted in a massive oil spill. Independent experts estimated the spill to be over 500,000 barrels, far exceeding the official estimate.

He also highlighted other incidents, such as the explosion and sinking of the Trinity Spirit FSPO in February 2022, and the ongoing Ororo-1 well fire in Ondo state. Bassey pointed out that these disasters are a result of negligence and poor maintenance.

Furthermore, Bassey drew attention to the abandonment issues not just in the oil and gas sector, but also in the solid minerals sector, citing the abandoned Tin mines of Jos and the Coal Mines of Enugu. He urged the federal government to address this alarming trend.

The expert also slammed the Federal Government for its over-reliance on the IOCs, which he believes has led to a non-transparent, corrupt, and dysfunctional petroleum sector. This dependency, according to Bassey, has rendered regulatory agencies either impotent or complicit, contributing to the ongoing crisis.