A devastating oil spillage has occurred on the 24 inches Trans Ramos crude oil pipeline owned by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), in Odimodi Community in the swamps of Western Niger Delta, in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State.

The crude oil spillage is said to have spread to over 50 communities under the Odimodi Federated Communities and others in the creek.

In a statement made available to EnviroNews on Friday, May 25, 2018, SPDC confirmed the incident.

According to the statement, as soon as the leaks were noticed on April 24, SPDC immediately shut down production, deployed containment booms and mobilised its oil spill response teams to clean the sites. These measures, which Shell insists are according to its standard operating procedures, successfully stopped and contained the spill.

“In line with Nigerian oil and gas industry regulations, a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) team comprising security and regulatory agencies as well as community representatives and SPDC personnel was constituted and deployed in the sites,” the statement added.

The JIV team confirmed four leak points on the pipeline and identified the impacted areas in Odimodi community.

Meanwhile, the cause of the leaks is yet to be determined as SPDC is said to be working on further site preparation and mobilisation of specialised equipment to the swamps for safe excavation of the pipeline for inspection.

The JIV team is expected to return to the sites as soon as possible to complete the investigation process.

Following distress calls, the Member representing Burutu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Julius Pondi; the Member representing Burutu 1 Constituency in the State House of Assembly, Daniel Yingi; and the PDP Chairman, Delta South Senatorial district, Prince Emman Amgbaduba, among others visited the community to ascertain and get an on the spot assessment of the situation.

Pondi and Yingi, who sympathised with the various communities affected by the spillage, reportedly expressed concern that Shell had not shown any commitments to the plight of the people since the spillage occurred.

They said though Shell had put measures in place to contain the spread and to recover crude oil from the damaged pipeline, the spillage had polluted the entire area destroying aquatic life which had made fishing, which is the major occupation of the people, impossible.

The Federal and State lawmakers decried the situation that the report of the JIV team consisting of Shell, Directorate of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) on the spillage was yet to be made public.

The lawmakers emphasised the need for the JIV report to be released, stressing that the spillage was not as a result of sabotage but due to equipment failure on the part of Shell.

They expressed worry that multinational oil companies have always devised means of short-changing communities whenever a spillage occurred as Shell was yet to meet with the community to discuss with them and assuage their plight.

In commemoration of the Africa Day on Friday, May 25, 2018, citizens and communities in almost 20 countries across the continent mobilised against the fossil fuel economy as part of a continent-wide day of action.

By joining the “Break Free” movement, regular citizens and activists from communities across Africa called on governments and business to put an end to fossil fuels and move towards a just transition to 100% renewable energy for all.

Over 30 events  held in nations, in which those hardest hit by fossil fuels projects and the impacts of climate change made their voices heard by those in power.

Some of these events include:

• A picket in Lephalale where communities called for the cancellation of the local proposed private coal-fired power station, Thabametsi;
• A photo exhibition showcasing the work of anti-coal activists (Lamu);
• Representatives from coal mining affected communities denounced the effects of coal mining (Abuja);
• ACRP updated local decision makers on the realities of climate change and discuss their plans and progress towards shifting to 100% renewable energy (Johannesburg);
• Anti-coal activists mobilised in Bargny, Ngadje beach to oppose the launch of the first coal power plant in (Senegal).

The Break Free movement in Africa was co-ordinated by Greenpeace Africa, African Climate Reality Project (ACRP), 350.org and Earthlife Africa Jhb, in the bid to empower local communities to rise with acts of courage and come together as a global movement for climate action and justice.

Landry Ninteretse, Regional Team leader, 350.org, said: “Funding fossil fuel development will only exacerbate the impacts of climate change. Africa has an opportunity to develop its energy sector using clean, renewable energy. It is this development that banks and financial institutions should support, and break free from financing fossil fuels. It’s time to deCOALonise Africa!”

Nhlanhla Sibisi, Climate and Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace Africa: “South Africa’s almost complete reliance on coal for electricity has severe consequences for water. To protect our right to clean and accessible drinking water, we must Break Free from coal and irrational water-intensive projects like Thabametsi must be stopped. There are effective alternatives to coal, but there are no alternatives to water.”

Thabo Sibeko, Programmes & Education Officer, Earthlife Africa: “Declaring War against mother earth is suicidal, because no one gives breath best like she does. Coal fired power stations are a great ticking time bomb, waiting to explode.”

Gillian Hamilton, ACRP Branch Manager: “By having more fossil fuels burning in South Africa we expect to see increased climate change impacts in our country – and that’s from a bigger, long term perspective. By developing in water-stressed regions, coal-fired power stations would be undermining a crucial resource that they need to run, while putting extreme pressure on the surrounding communities’ basic needs.”

The escape of three patients infected with the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from the hospital where they were being treated is “not unexpected”, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday, May 25, 2018, underlining the need to step up efforts to explain the dangers of the deadly disease to affected communities.

Two of the three patients died after leaving an isolation unit in Wangata hospital in Mbandaka city in the last week, WHO spokesperson, Tarik Jasarevic, confirmed.

He said that both of the deceased had been given a safe and dignified burial and added that “it was only human” that sick people wanted to be with their families “in what could be the last moments of life”.

“It is very unfortunate that people fled the treatment centre, but it is not unexpected. We had this in previous outbreaks,” he said.

“It is really important that we redouble our efforts to engage with the community so that everyone understands how Ebola is being transmitted, and that keeping the sick person at home not only decreases the chances of survival for this person, because this person then is not receiving supportive treatment, but is also putting at risk the whole family”, added Mr. Jasarevic.

Latest data from health authorities in the DRC indicates a total of 52 cases of Ebola in the north-west of the country; 31 of these are confirmed, 13 are probable and eight are suspect.

There have been 22 deaths confirmed so far. The overall caseload and death toll have been revised downwards, reflecting the fact that some samples have either tested negative for the haemorrhagic disease, or that any link to Ebola has been ruled out.

But concerns are still high that the disease could spread easily from Mbandaka – a city of over a million people – given its direct link by river, to the capital, Kinshasa.

The outbreak was originally declared on May 8 in Bikoro, a relatively remote region in Equateur Province.

Access there and to nearby Iboko is difficult and efforts are still ongoing to put in place a so-called “cold chain” to maintain Ebola vaccine at between minus 60 and minus 80 degrees Celsius.

Targeted vaccinations have already begun in Mbandaka and 154 people have been inoculated to date, according to Mr Jasarevic, who stressed that it would take time to identify all those who could have come into contact with an infected carrier.

“It’s targeted vaccination. It’s basically getting people who are identified as eligible to receive the vaccine; so contacts; and contacts of contacts…There are a number of challenges; first, epidemiological teams have to identify these people,” he added.

To date, WHO has shipped more than 7,500 vaccinations to DRC; a total of 300,000 are available from pharmaceuticals manufacturer Merck.

As in the previous Ebola outbreak in West Africa between 2014 and 2016, efforts are also under way in DRC to protect youngsters from the disease.

“Children are still at risk,” said Christophe Boulierac, spokesperson for UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), who added that that staff are raising awareness of the dangers among 13,000 children in the three affected zones and installing handwashing facilities in more than 270 schools.

Measures are also in place to protect the mental well-being of youngsters, Mr Boulierac continued, adding that other Ebola outbreaks had “demonstrated the need for social workers to identify and assist vulnerable children”.

A total of 22 psychosocial agents have been trained by UNICEF and partners, Mr Boulierac said, adding that the agency is supporting 23 children and their families who have relatives infected with Ebola by supplying household kits and food rations.