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allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Ogoni Oil Spill Was Not Sabotage – Rivers Govt

This Day (Lagos)
March 30, 2006
Posted to the web March 30, 2006
John Iwori
Port Harcourt
As the oil spill in Kegbara Dere community in Gokana Local Government area of Rivers State continues to generate ripples, the state government has ruled out sabotage, saying Shell made frantic efforts to contain its spread.
Making the position of the state government known in an interview with newsmen yesterday, Commissioner of Environment, Dr Roselyn Konya, said the spill was as a result of aged pipes used by the multinational oil company several years ago.
According to Konya, all environmental regulatory bodies, both federal and state, have confirmed that the spill did not result from sabotage or vandalism.
The spill, which flowed between Friday and Sunday, affected Kpor, Mogho, K-Dere, B-Dere and Bara communities.
The commissioner said not less than 1,000 barrels of oil was lost to the spill, adding that the state government had ordered the owner of the pipes, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), to go to the site and start cleaning the spill.
According to her, the pipe that spilled oil had undergone repairs last year, adding, “after the repairs, we felt that there may not be any other disaster in the area.”
While expressing regrets that the spillage had caused a lot of damage to both crops and soil in the area, he said the state government has promised to send relief materials to victims of the spillage.
The state Governor, Peter Odili, visited the spill site on Monday and promised that the victims would be well compensated, and immediately ordered Ministry of Environment to get the list of those that have farmlands in the spill area.

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