Leadership (Abuja)
Bernard Tolani Dada
13 October 2008
Fishermen in Akwa Ibom state under the aegis of Artisan Fishermen Association of Nigeria, has demanded N824million as compensation for damage caused by the February 28 oil spill at Qua Iboe oil fields in Eket.
The state chairman of the association, Mr, Samuel Ayadi, stated this in Eket last week. The spill, according to him, polluted the waters and scared away fish deep into the atlantics which has made fishing very difficult for his men.
Incessant oil spills from Mobil facilities at Ibeno, he noted, have always been a threat to their means of livelihood such that once there is a spill they were always out of business.
Ayaji said that the fishing communities were not carried along by the oil company in the assessment of the impact of the February 2008 spill on the environment.
According to him "it was normal that after an oil spill, stakeholders, including representatives of the host communities, regulatory bodies and oil companies to conduct a joint inspection of the area and access the impact but we were left behind."
He, therefore, called on the state government to come to their aid by prevailing on Mobil to pay them adequate compensation on their losses since February
Meanwhile, Mobil Producing Unlimited has commenced replacement of pipelines that convey production platform to Qua Iboe tank farms at Ibeno.
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