Community leaders in Rivers State have issued a strong demand for accountability from the Federal Government following a massive oil spill that has triggered a severe environmental and humanitarian crisis.
A Catastrophic Inspection Tour
On Friday, December 26, 2025, the scale of the disaster became clear when the Kpean Council of Chiefs and Elders, accompanied by youth leaders, conducted a thorough inspection of the affected areas in the Kpean Community, Khana Local Government Area. What they witnessed was described as catastrophic.
Chief Anthony Waadah, the Gbenemene of Legbo Kingdom and President of the Ogoni Association of Business Owners in America, led the tour. He labeled the spill a "total and unacceptable disaster," highlighting decades of environmental degradation in Ogoniland. "The federal government cannot continue to come to Ogoniland to talk about oil resumption when they haven't cleaned up the mess they've inflicted on our land since 1957," Waadah stated angrily.
Failed Promises and Unbearable Conditions
The Paramount Ruler of Kpean, Lucky Gbene-Ewoh, detailed the community's suffering. "We cannot go fishing again. We cannot farm. Our people cry every day," he said. He revealed that despite the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) confirming the spill was due to equipment failure and corrosion, no remedial action was taken for over two months.
Gbene-Ewoh criticized the government's inadequate response, noting that numerous petitions and visits to Abuja had yielded no tangible results. "The silence is deafening. We need urgent intervention before more lives are lost," the monarch pleaded.
Youths Reject Blame, Demand Justice
Youth leaders in the community vehemently rejected suggestions that the spill was caused by third-party interference. Lemii Petaba, the Youth President of Kpean, expressed collective frustration over what he called systemic marginalization.
"We are angry because the federal government continues to blame our people for this disaster," Petaba said. "They claim third-party intervention, but they refused to give us a voice. Our rivers, farms and farmlands have been destroyed. We will not sit idly by while our community is neglected."
Chief Waadah echoed the call for external scrutiny, urging the international community to intervene and launch independent investigations into the roles of Shell and NNPCL. He emphasized that the community is not seeking charity but demanding justice for the destruction of their environment and livelihoods.
