Five Weeks Of Silence: Heritage Energy Refuses To Clean Up Catastrophic Uzere Blowout – HOMEF

By Bukar BOLORI

The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has accused Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited of failing to contain a major oil well blowout in Delta State more than five weeks after the incident, warning that the approaching flood season could trigger a wider environmental disaster across farming and fishing communities.

In a field assessment report released on August 3 following a visit to Uzere Kingdom in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State, HOMEF said the blowout, which occurred on June 26 at Well 14 in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 30, was still discharging crude oil, gas and associated petroleum substances into the environment at the time of its visit.

Uzere Kingdom is one of Nigeria’s oldest oil-producing communities, where commercial oil production began in 1957. The community hosts the Uzere East and Uzere West oil fields, with more than 43 producing wells said to generate about 53,000 barrels of crude oil daily, while residents depend largely on farming and fishing for their livelihoods.

According to the report, community leaders who visited the site a day after the incident were informed by Heritage Energy engineers that the accident resulted from equipment failure caused by excessive pressure, leading to a well blowout.

The report said despite repeated appeals by the community for immediate intervention, the operator was unable to stop the uncontrolled discharge, adding that more than one month later the damaged wellhead, commonly known as the “Christmas Tree,” had reportedly collapsed and continued releasing petroleum products into the surrounding environment.

HOMEF noted that the affected facility is located close to farmlands, fish ponds and a gas flare stack, heightening fears that seasonal flooding expected in August could spread contamination across rivers, wetlands and agricultural land.

Chairman of the Uzere Oil and Gas Committee, Mr. Sylvanus Evroro, recalled that a previous spill occurred in the same oil field about a decade ago but was successfully contained.

He warned that the current situation posed a far greater threat because of the prolonged delay in responding to the incident.

“August is approaching, and without intervention from the authorities responsible for salvaging the well blowout, the coming flood will worsen the situation by spreading the spill across the community and beyond,” Evroro said.

He added that farming and fishing—the primary occupations of most residents—would suffer devastating consequences if the pollution persists.

“About 90 per cent of our people are farmers and fishers. If this blowout is not contained immediately, our farms, fish ponds, lakes and swamps will be seriously affected, with grave consequences for livelihoods and food production.”

The environmental advocacy organisation also faulted what it described as a slow response by both Heritage Energy and regulatory authorities.

According to community leaders quoted in the report, Heritage Energy allegedly notified the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) almost two weeks after the blowout.

Residents said NOSDRA officials later visited the location and reportedly attributed the incident to poor maintenance of the operator’s equipment, but expressed concern that no effective containment or environmental remediation had commenced.

HOMEF disclosed that its assessment team, accompanied by community leaders including the vice president of Uzere Kingdom, was prevented from accessing the affected site by security personnel, who insisted that clearance must first be obtained from Heritage Energy’s office in Warri.

As a result, the organisation based its findings on eyewitness accounts, photographs and videos provided by members of the community. It also stated that no Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) report was made available during the assessment.

HOMEF warned that the prolonged discharge of crude oil raises significant environmental, public health and economic concerns, especially as Uzere is still recovering from the devastating floods of 2012 and 2022, which destroyed farmlands and livelihoods.

The organisation said the continued failure to contain the blowout also raises serious questions about regulatory oversight and emergency response by both the operator and relevant government agencies.

Among its recommendations, HOMEF called on Heritage Energy to immediately contain the blowout using internationally accepted emergency response measures, commence comprehensive clean-up and environmental remediation, replace worn-out oil infrastructure and grant unrestricted access to regulators, affected communities and independent observers.

It also urged NOSDRA to conduct and publicly release the findings of a transparent Joint Investigation Visit, enforce compliance with environmental regulations and supervise remediation of the affected area.

The group further called on the Federal Government and the Delta State Government to ensure fair compensation for affected residents, restore damaged livelihoods and undertake long-term environmental monitoring until the ecosystem fully recovers.

HOMEF argued that regulators should proactively monitor polluted sites rather than waiting to be invited by oil companies, describing the current practice as outdated and ineffective in delivering environmental justice.

The report cited Article 24 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which guarantees every people “the right to a general satisfactory environment favourable to their development,” stressing that communities affected by oil pollution deserve timely intervention and environmental protection.