The Traditional Council of Ibiotte, a community in the Mkpat Enin Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, has lodged a formal complaint with the state government and major oil companies Exxon Mobil and Okoro Oilfield-AMNI International Petroleum Development Company Limited. The grievance is over recent oil spills that have severely affected local farmlands and aquatic life.
The community leaders, led by Village Head Eteidung Akpan J. Ekpo and Secretary Elder Akpan I. Akpan, released a statement on Monday expressing their concern. They have urged the oil corporations to promptly clean up the oil spills resulting from their operations and to provide adequate compensation to those impacted, including local fishermen and the wider community.
The Council highlighted the long-term damage caused by oil spills in the region, with incidents dating back to 1996. They pointed out that after previous incidents, ExxonMobil and Okoro Oilfield-AMNI International Development had provided compensation following verification of the spills.
The statement, which was also forwarded to the Executive Chairman of Mkpat Enin, the Paramount Ruler, and other community stakeholders, noted, “Ibioete Village, within the Odoroikot community in Mkpat Enin LGA, is suffering from the damages caused by the recent oil spillage along the Atlantic Ocean. This has inflicted considerable harm on our fishermen at the Atlantic Ocean and within the Creeks/rivers. We call upon the state government and the involved oil firms to urgently address this issue and compensate the affected parties.”
SOURCE: DailyPost
IMAGE: Per SecondNews
