Civil society organisations (CSOs) have demanded an immediate cleanup and detoxification of the Kapam community in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, affected by the alleged release of toxic chemicals by the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemicals Company (KRPC) situated in the community and which is undergoing turnaround maintenance.

Environmental Rights Action (ERA), Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), and Corporate Accountability and Public Participation (CAPPA), in a joint statement on Saturday, August 31, 2024, decried the KRPC’s failure to notify its host community of the release of noxious chemicals into the atmosphere, knowing full well the danger such powerful chemicals pose to their health, crops, and livestock.

The CSOs noted that this negligence had – according to the Kapam people – led to the contamination of the air and water in the area and the destruction of crops and livestock.

They demanded that the KRPC not only take steps to immediately cease further pollution of the area in the interest of the public health and livelihood of Kapam residents but to also commence an assessment of the damage caused by the pollutants with a view to prevent a recurrence and speedily provide commensurate compensation to victims for the losses and damages caused by the avoidable man-made environmental pollution.

The Kapam community, led by its womenfolk, staged a peaceful protest at the facility’s gate on Friday, August 30, calling for dialogue with and remediation and compensation by the KPRC for the losses they have incurred.

Standing in solidarity with the community, the CSOs referenced research showing that refineries often have adverse effects on the health and environment of host communities due to air pollution caused by routine gas flaring and the emission of large amounts of pollutants such as BTEX compounds, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, during the processing of crude oil.

“These often result in acid rains and black soot such as has been experienced by the Ubeji community in Delta State near the Warri Refinery. These pollutants can cause respiratory problems, including asthma, and bronchitis, and increase the risk of heart disease and lung cancer. Other harms in the form of occasional oil spills onsite or offsite can pollute water bodies including the groundwater and rivers/streams, while improper disposal of some hazardous wastes, and accidental fire outbreaks as oil refineries store large quantities of flammable materials, can pose a significant risk of fire and explosion in an environment with shallow risk or disaster management system,” the group stated.

According to Mariann Bassey Oruvwuje, Deputy Executive Director of ERA, the issue of compensation “begs the question, as not everything can be compensated. How do you pay for the ill health or death of a loved one, for example, the time and money spent on the farms, and the mental health of the people? Over and above the compensation, we say, ‘DO NO HARM!’.”

She noted that the Kaduna refinery was commissioned in 1980 to supply petroleum products to Northern Nigeria with a capacity of 50,000 Barrels per Day (B/D). In 1983, the capacity was expanded to 110,000 B/D.

Oruvwuje added: “We wonder to what level this turnaround maintenance would bring this facility to a state where it is safe for the workers, the people, and the environment considering the age of the plant. Would a fresh Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) be conducted? Would reclamation, decommissioning, and close-up measures be prioritised considering cases of abandonments that have characterised other refineries in the country? Would the locals be involved? These are some of the questions begging for answers.”

On his part, CAPPA’s Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, found it disturbing that “at a time when global attention is shifting towards renewable energy sources, Nigeria is still within the claws of fossil fuel and its associated consequences.”

Oluwafemi lamented: “Apart from the absence of corporate oversight expected from the regulators, there appears to have been an absolute disregard at KPRC for the environment and the well-being of the victims. The demand for compensation is genuine. We cannot continue to be victims of governance ineptitude.”

Similarly, Stephen Oduware, Programme Manager, HOMEF, noted: “Communities hosting refineries have always been sacrificing zones where pollution of both the environment and people continue nonstop. The incident at Kapam community is another episode of the endless pollution communities have now been forced to live with. The impacts are severe as the environment is degraded, farmlands destroyed, and biodiversity significantly impacted.

“We therefore demand that the pollution must stop. There must be both environmental and health audits. The environment must be remediated and restored. Adequate compensation that takes into account the environmental, social, economic, and health damage caused. The compensation must also take into account the capacity for reproductivity of farmlands destroyed as farming on their land is not just a one-off thing.”

Also speaking, Rita Uwaka, Forest and Biodiversity Programme Coordinator, ERA and Friends of the Earth Africa (FoEA), said: “We stand in solidarity with the women of the Kapam community whose protest is not just about the need to protect our environment, but a struggle against the historic systemic injustices and gender violations associated with the operations of oil and gas companies in Nigeria. We call for an immediate stop to the toxic discharges by the company until a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is conducted and necessary remediation measures are put in place.”