'Energy poverty, oil spillages behind artisanal refineries in Niger Delta'
Port Harcourt -- An environmental rights advocate, Mr Ken Henshaw, has traced the history and idea behind illegal refining of crude oil in the creeks of the Niger Delta, to energy poverty, oil spillages and irresponsibility of oil operators.
Henshaw who is the Executive Director of We The People, a civil society group, said the idea of illegal refining activities began due to constant failure and negligence of oil multinationals to promptly clean up oil spills caused by their facilities in the region.
The Environmentalist spoke at the Civil Society, Communities, Media Discussion on Soot Pollution organised by the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA in Port Harcourt.
He narrated that after spill incidents, members of Niger Delta communities were repeatedly forced to bailed large quantity crude oil into basins and drums from their farmlands, rivers a n d neighbourhood, since oil operators have always refused to respond on time.
According to him, since the bailed crude could not be sold, as a result, the product was repeatedly stored in the homes, which gave birth to putting the crude into local use, especially since most rural communities in the region are steeped in poverty due to lack of basic infrastructures like roads, bridges, etc.
"It is true that Niger Delta communities have found a way to illegally distilled crude oil into petroleum products like kero, diesel and fuel; but what is more important for reasonable people to question is why and how did it get to a point where people began distilling crude oil in the creeks?
"The answer is simply, crude oil spillages and energy poverty.
"Most times, oil companies fail to clean up their mess when crude oil are being spilled, and so communities are forced to salvage the situation by themselves.