Nembe Oil Spill: HOMEF Demands Cleanup, Compensation, Accountability

By Bukar BOLORI

The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has demanded an immediate cleanup, compensation for affected residents and full accountability over the latest crude oil spill at the Nembe Creek facility in Bayelsa State, warning that recurring pollution is destroying livelihoods and deepening the environmental crisis in the oil-producing community.

The spill, which occurred on August 22, 2026, during crude oil loading operations at a facility operated by Nembe Exploration and Production Limited, formerly Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Limited, within Oil Mining Lease (OML) 29, has reportedly contaminated waterways and fishing grounds relied upon by several coastal communities.

Following a field visit, HOMEF said it observed crude oil in the water and along mangrove banks around Nembe Creek, with the pungent smell of crude reportedly detectable about two kilometres from the community.

The organisation said residents reported that tidal movements had carried the pollution through interconnected waterways and fishing settlements, compounding the impact on communities whose livelihoods depend heavily on fishing.

According to residents, fishing nets and equipment have been damaged, fish catches have declined, and some waterways can no longer be safely used for fishing or domestic purposes.

Vice-Chairlady of Nembe Creek women, Love Mark, said the spill had effectively driven local fishermen and women away from their traditional source of livelihood.

“We cannot go out with our fishing nets and hooks for fishing again,” she said, noting that crude-contaminated fishing nets had become unusable, with a single net costing between N150,000 and N170,000.

The paramount ruler of Nembe Creek communities, HRH Agent Anthony Waya, said repeated pollution had devastated aquatic life and made fishing increasingly unviable.

“Due to the destruction of the aquatic lives, there are no fish in the river; people would go fishing in two or three canoes and return with nothing,” he said.

The growing frustration among residents subsequently sparked a protest by community women at the oil facility, where they demanded immediate cleanup, assessment of the damage and assistance for affected households.

Although a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) reportedly identified operational failure as the cause of the latest spill, HOMEF said the volume of crude released and the full geographical extent of the contamination remained inconclusive as of September 1.

Executive Director of HOMEF, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, said determining the immediate cause of an oil spill should not mark the end of the accountability process, particularly in an area with a history of repeated pollution.

Bassey linked the latest incident to previous pollution associated with OML 29, including the prolonged 2021 Santa Barbara Well 1 spill and wellhead blowout, arguing that recurring spills should be treated as a systemic environmental governance failure rather than isolated incidents.

HOMEF called on Nembe Exploration and Production Limited, the Bayelsa State Government and relevant federal regulatory agencies to immediately publish the complete JIV findings, including the cause, estimated volume of crude released, geographical extent and all affected communities.

It also demanded an independent and comprehensive environmental assessment of affected waterways, mangroves, fishing grounds and settlements, followed by immediate cleanup and ecological restoration with clear timelines and transparent monitoring.

The organisation further called for urgent relief for affected households, particularly fishing families, as well as compensation for verified livelihood and economic losses, including damaged fishing equipment and lost fishing time.

HOMEF said all affected communities and fishing camps must be included in investigation visits, environmental assessments, damage evaluation, cleanup and subsequent monitoring.

It also urged authorities to establish sustained monitoring of water, sediments, fish and other aquatic organisms, while strengthening spill-prevention and emergency-response systems around crude-loading facilities.

Beyond the latest incident, HOMEF urged stakeholders to confront the wider legacy of pollution in OML 29 instead of treating each spill as an isolated emergency.

The organisation also raised concerns over the broader operational footprint of crude-loading activities, including navigational buoys and vessel movements that it said could affect fishing grounds and damage fishing equipment.

HOMEF maintained that communities in the Niger Delta should no longer be left to bear the environmental and economic costs of oil extraction while accountability remains limited.

It, therefore, urged the operator and government authorities to move beyond emergency responses and make pollution prevention, transparent investigations, meaningful community participation, ecological restoration, and livelihood recovery central to environmental governance in Nembe.

For the people of Nembe Creek, HOMEF said, the demand is simple: clean water, protected livelihoods and environmental justice—not recurring pollution and repeated promises of relief.