June 17, (THEWILL)- A Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Kevin O’Hara has launched a campaign against oil spillage in the Niger Delta. Father O’Hara who runs a Non-Governmental Organisation, Stakeholders Alliance for Corporate Accountability, with which he has intensified campaigns against oil spillages in the Niger Delta region, organized an enlightenment/training programme for women in Bayelsa state. SACA is funded by Misean Cara of the Republic of Ireland and the St. Patrick’s Missionary Society(SPS) of the Catholic Church. SACA is funded by Misean Cara of the Republic of Ireland and the St. Patrick’s Missionary Society(SPS) of the Catholic Church.
The programme drew women leaders from 20 rural communities in Bayelsa State to reflect and share actions they are taking to reduce crude oil spillages and its associated risks to environment and humans in their communities. Women, according to the Executive Director of SACA, Mr Kingsley Ozegbe, were targeted because they stood a better chance to further take the engagement on the dangers of oil spills to the rural communities.
He hinted that the event was exclusively focused on women because they are worst hit by hazards linked to exposure to crude oil spills, emphasizing that any harm on children, husbands, wards and the communities directly weighs women down as they increase their burden to care for the sick and grief when death occurs. Ozegbe stressed that women are much more emotionally stressed than men when their loved ones are sick and die.
While cautioning against third party interference on oil and gas installations, Ozegbe expressed regrets that available data indicated that a large percentage of spillages in the Niger Delta region were caused by individual and groups interfering with oil facilities, thereby posing serious harm to the environment and people in communities and their sources of livelihood.
The SACA boss said: “A recent research carried out by Roland Hodler and Anna Bruederle of the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland on the effects of oil spillages in Nigeria showed that anyone who lives 10km away from the site of any oil spill is likely going to be affected by the hazardous impacts of the spills. “We’ve today invited women from 20 communities across the 8 LGAs of Bayelsa state to further enlighten them on the effects of oil spillages. We invited women because they’re the worst hit by these effects.
“it’s widely reported that continuous exposure to crude oil spills causes miscarriage, still birth, deforms children and several neonatal challenges”. The NGO’s boss added that clinical investigation in Rivers State on persons directly involved in unregulated processing of crude oil, transporting and selling of the products in local communities showed that they have traces of petroleum in their urine and blood, thus, increasing the likelihood of high incidence of cancer and other ailments amongst youths and women in the region.
About the Author
Amos Okioma is a Correspondent at THEWILL
