Oando and Azuzuama Community Clash Over Oil Spill Findings

The investigation into an oil spill in Azuzuama Community, Bayelsa State, has caused disagreements among Oando, regulators, and community leaders.

The spill happened on 25 June along Oando’s six-inch Azuzuama-Tebidaba flow line in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.

A field report by the Environmental Conservation Agriculture and Rural Development (ECARD) stated that the spill released large amounts of crude oil into the community. They attributed it to "induced corrosion" due to sabotage.

Reuben Enai, the director of petroleum and pollution at the Bayelsa Ministry of Environment, also took part in the investigation. He confirmed that the rupture was due to induced corrosion.

Mr Enai shared that a visual check of the crude delivery pipeline showed signs that suggested someone deliberately used acid to corrode the top part of the pipe. He argued that natural corrosion could not have caused damage at the "12 o’clock" position of the pipeline.

On the other hand, the local community claimed that the spill was due to equipment failure and corrosion. Angasei Perediseghebofa, the chairman of the Azuzuama Community Development Committee, spoke in Yenagoa on Monday and said the results of the Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) were wrong.

He pointed out that the visible rust on the exposed pipeline signaled corrosion, not sabotage as ECARD and Oando suggested. He also mentioned that the testing devices Oando brought failed during the inspection, which stopped a proper investigation into the cause of the spill.

Uyabara Boneghen, the committee’s vice chairman, also questioned the reliability of the testing equipment Oando used during the JIV. He noted another leak under a platform, saying that the bubbling gas raised more environmental worries for the community.

The JIV is a required process to find out the cause, estimated spill volume, and affected areas of a spill. Experts say the differing opinions from regulators, the operator, and community representatives have made the JIV unclear.

They urged Oando to quickly contain the spill, clean up the affected areas, and fix the underwater leak to stop further damage to the environment. They stressed that a separate investigation into the underwater leak is needed to prevent ongoing hydrocarbon discharge that could harm the community’s livelihoods.