Taskforce Serves Sterling Global 7 Days Abatement To Clean Up Oil Spill At Beneku Community

Taskforce Serves Sterling Global 7 Days Abatement To Clean Up Oil Spill At Beneku Community

Francis Tayor

Warri______ Delta State Taskforce on Environment has served Sterling Global Oil Company seven (7) days abatement notice to stop indiscriminate dumping of drilling cuttings (toxic waste) as well as clean up the massive oil spillage that has polluted Beneku community in Ndokwa East LGA, of Delta State.

The action was taken in line with Delta state government environment protection law to ensure protection of lives, properties and safety of the environment for the general interest of its inhabitants.

Speaking at the spill site on Wednesday, the state taskforce chairman on environment, Hon. Sylvester Oromoni frown at Sterling Global Company over the level of damage caused by the activities of the company. He gave seven days abatement notice to the company to kick start the process of remediating the polluted environment for the safety of lives in the community. 

Oromoni stressed that there are standard ways of disposing toxic waste from drilling cuttings from oil company's, noting that Sterling Global should followed the world global standard best practices and stop polluting Beneku community.

Therefore, " We give Sterling Global seven (7) days to start the clean up process of the oil spill deposits at Beneku community and other affected neighboring villages in Ndokwa nation, Oromoni stated."

In his reaction, the Chairman of Beneku community, Mr. Opone Obi, said the oil spillage started since the year 2016 and Sterling Global company does not care about the lives of our people neither to clean up the mess on our farmland as result of negligence by their oil exploration activities. 

" We as host community  have tried our possible best to draw the company attention to stop operation and address the situation but it yielded no result because the company always bribe their way out. Our farmland has been destroyed, our source of drinking water from the river had been polluted. We can no longer farm neither catch fishes from the river to feed our families because of the spill. We can not breathe in fresh air as result of the hazardous toxic waste dump and gas flare in our  environment. Many of our people are sick and hospitalized due to the crude oil spill and the toxic waste dump in our environment. We are calling on Delta state government to come to our aid. Our people are dying every day, help us Gov. Okowa, Beneku community cried out. "

However, the state taskforce chairman was accompanied by the Coordinator, Comrade Kingsley Iweka, Mr. Ishe Osan, John Atuke from ministry of environment, Mr. Frank Alale (taskforce Supervisor), Chairman of Beneku community, Mr. Opone Obi, Mr. Obi Nwadike, Fin Sec CDC Beneku Community and Comr. Samuel Ikwueke, Youth PRO Beneku community to the preliminary investigation at the spill site in Beneku community.