By Val Amanze (On-line Editor) and Daniel Kanu (Assistant Editor, Politics)
As the Ikebiri community of Bayelsa state intensifies agitation for environmental justice over their polluted land by Eni, Italian oil giant, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria has demanded that total clean Up of the area as well as adequate compensation must be paid.
ERA’s demand is coming against the backdrop of the unprecedented legal case against Eni by the endangered community in Italy, its home country.
Making its position known to Journalists at a press conference on Tuesday in Lagos, on the suit against Eni, Executive Director of the group, Dr. Godwin Uyi Ojo said ERA would stop at nothing to use all constitutional means to hold multinational oil corporations including Eni, accountable for their environmental human rights violations and destruction of the environment.
ERA/FoEN Deputy Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, Philip Jakpor, Head, Media & Communication, were also present.
Said Ojo “Friends of the Earth Europe and the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria are supporting the community of Ikebiri in their court case against ENI, in their struggle for justice.
“In respect of the court case against AGIP/ENI which was filed in Milan, Italy, on May 4 the plaintiffs are seeking the clean-up of their community and compensation for the pollution that ENI caused.
“The King of Ikebiri is the plaintiff, and the lawyers representing them are Luca Saltalamacchia with Chima Williams of ERA/FoE Nigeria.
ERA’s demand according to Ojo is that the Italian court case must among others “Compel ENI and its Nigerian subsidiary to clean up the spill in the community and compensation of Euros 2 million to the Ikebiri community.
“Stop oil companies from acting with impunity in the Niger Delta, neglecting the communities severely impacted by their operations and getting away with this due to their above the law status
“Put in place adequate enforcement mechanisms through agencies like National Oil Spills Detection and Remediation Agency (NOSDRA).
“Provide discretional deterrent including punitive award against Agip/ENI in like sum of Euros 2 million to the Ikebiri people.
According to Ojo “This is the first case of its kind against Italian Oil giant ENI, after years of reckless exploitation in the Niger Delta”
It would be recalled that on the 5th of April 2010, NAOC, subsidiary of ENI burst about 250 metres from a creek north of the Ikebiri – a fishing community.
The spill caused irreparable damage to the creek, destroyed aquatic life, dug out fishing ponds and ruined their farmlands, crops and other livelihood sources.
It took six days for NAOC to agree to a joint inspection visit where it was concluded that “equipment failure” caused the spill. NAOC operates seven wells and eight pipelines with several flow lines in the area of Ikebiri.
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