Fishermen at Ibeno, the immediate host communities of Exxon Mobil in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, have continued to count their losses following another round of oil spills reported two days ago along the Atlantic coastline of the state.
Spokesman and chairman of the Akwa Ibom State, Artesian Fishermen Association, Mr. Ayadi who spoke with our correspondent yesterday at Ibeno, said that since the spillage, life had not been easy for the fishermen.
Ayadi said that for over two weeks now fisher men in the area could no longer go out to fish as the entire coastline had been covered by crude oil leading to the death of aquatic lives.
It is like the holocaust, some of our members who even attempt to fish came up with miserable and oily catch as all the fish, and other aquatic lives that provide us our means of livelihood have all disappeared or perished.
If you go to the market now the cost of fish and Cray fish has gone up by over 60 per cent and it would continue like that until the situation is brought under control
Our only hope now is for continuous rain to fall so that some of the oil can be washed away to enable aquatic lives return because as I am speaking to you now the entire place is covered with oil and our men cannot enter the water,” Ayadi stated.
He denied ever being invited for discussion by any officials of Exxon Mobil saying that the oil company which has not yet own up to the spill could definitely not have invited fishermen or leaders of the community for negotiations and appealed to the government to come to the assistance of his men by providing them temporary means of livelihood until the situation improves.
Meanwhile, hundreds of residents of Esit Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State at the weekend staged a protest following another round of oil spill at the Qua Iboe Oil field operated by Mobil Producing Nigeria, an ExxonMobil subsidiary.
The protesters comprising representatives of fishermen, youths and other groups affected by the oil spill carried placards and sang solidarity songs to the Local Government Secretariat in Uquo, Esit Eket.
They were however prevented from gaining access by council security men who locked up the gates until officials of the local government drew the attention of the vice chairman.
Spokesman for the protesters, EdohoUqua Paul who itemised the grievances of the group to Mr. Enobong Asubob, Vice Chairman, Esit Eket Local Government Area, maintained that the youths would seek self help if the council fails to prevail on ExxonMobil officials to take full responsibility for the spills.
It has come to our notice that the oil spill agency has ordered them to clean up the contaminated shoreline but for over one week now nothing has happened.
If Mobil dares the regulator it means that they are up to something and we shall not allow them to get away with this, the pain that the spill has inflicted on the fishing population along the coastline is unimaginable.
With the waters contaminated, you can no longer have any reasonable catch and even when you catch anything the fish would be oil contaminated and poisonous for consumption, so the reasonable thing to do is to leave the waters for a while.
We appeal to you to use your office to get Mobil to retrace its steps by withdrawing the comments in the media that they do not know the source of the oil spill, we cannot be deceived, Paul said.
In his response, the Vice Chairman explained that he would convey the message to the Chairman of the Council, Chief Ibanga Etang who would take up the matter with the appropriate authorities.
He commended the peaceful disposition of the youths and advised them to shun lawlessness.
2011 Leadership Newspapers Group, Abuja