Bayelsa Community, Chevron Disagree over Source of Funiwa Oil Spill

Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) and the communities impacted by the crude oil spill from Funiwa oil fields in Koluama in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State have been sharply divided over where the crude oil leakage noticed over the weekend was coming from.

The crude oil spill suspected to be from Funiwa oil fields was been reported by fishermen operating near the Atlantic Ocean coastline last Sunday.

While the fishermen from CNL host community, Koluama, claim the leak is from Chevron oil fields, Chevron denied the claim.

The General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs, at Chevron, Esimaje Brikinn, said there was no oil leakage from its operations in Bayelsa State.

According to him, “Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), operator of the joint venture between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and CNL (the NNPC/CNL JV), confirms that there has been no oil spill incident at any of its facilities in Bayelsa State.”

However, a community leader in Koluama 1, Chief Young Fabby, told journalists in Yenagoa that the denial by Chevron was a ploy to evade liability for the leak and associated pollution.

He said Chevron had deployed several helicopters to apply chemical dispersants to dissolve and breakdown the crude oil deposits on the water surface in a bid to cover up the spill.

Fabby said: “The oil company equally used the navy and other security personnel to ward off fisher men who tried to take photographs and video of the exercise being carried out by the helicopters.