Koluama is a riverside community located in southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, which empties into the Atlantic ocean . They are endowed with rich cultural heritage and fishing as their major source of livelihood. The Chevron North Apoi Gas Rig explosion occurred on 16th January, 2012, which lasted for 46 days. About 154 people working on the rig when the incident occurred out of which two, a French man and an Indian lost their lives and their bodies never found till this day, before the others were evacuated. |
Description:
Basic Data
| Name of conflict: | Gas Wellhead Explosion in Koluama, Nigeria |
| Country: | Nigeria |
| State or province: | Bayelsa State |
| Location of conflict: | Koluama Community |
| Accuracy of location | MEDIUM (Regional level) |
Source of Conflict
| Type of conflict. 1st level: | Fossil Fuels and Climate Justice/Energy |
| Type of conflict. 2nd level: | Oil and gas exploration and extraction Gas flaring Oil and gas refining |
| Specific commodities: | Crude oil |
Project Details and Actors
| Project details | According to Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), The Chevron Nortn Apoi Field, located offshore Koluoma community has Nine(9) number of wells. Quantity of oil produced: 1,658,278. Barrels Quantity of Gas produce: 2,864,320.00 mscf |
| Type of population | Rural |
| Affected Population: | 250000 |
| Start of the conflict: | 16/01/2012 |
| Company names or state enterprises: | Chevron Nigeria Limited from Nigeria Chevron Polska Energy Resources Sp. z o.o. from United States of America Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) from Nigeria |
| Relevant government actors: | NNPC , Bayelsa State Government. |
| Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth Nigeria. (ERA/FoEN), Nigerian Media. |
Conflict & Mobilization
| Intensity | HIGH (widespread, mass mobilization, violence, arrests, etc...) |
| Reaction stage | Mobilization for reparations once impacts have been felt |
| Groups mobilizing: | Farmers Indigenous groups or traditional communities Local ejos Neighbours/citizens/communities Social movements Women Local scientists/professionals Religious groups Fisher people |
| Forms of mobilization: | Blockades Community-based participative research (popular epidemiology studies, etc..) Creation of alternative reports/knowledge Development of a network/collective action Development of alternative proposals Involvement of national and international NGOs Media based activism/alternative media Official complaint letters and petitions Public campaigns Street protest/marches Occupation of buildings/public spaces |
Impacts
| Environmental Impacts | Visible: Air pollution, Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Fires, Floods (river, coastal, mudflow), Noise pollution, Waste overflow, Oil spills, Surface water pollution / Decreasing water (physico-chemical, biological) quality Potential: Food insecurity (crop damage), Genetic contamination, Global warming, Soil contamination, Soil erosion, Deforestation and loss of vegetation cover, Groundwater pollution or depletion |
| Health Impacts | Visible: Accidents, Exposure to unknown or uncertain complex risks (radiation, etc…), Occupational disease and accidents, Infectious diseases, Deaths, Other environmental related diseases Potential: Mental problems including stress, depression and suicide |
| Socio-economical Impacts | Visible: Displacement, Loss of livelihood, Loss of traditional knowledge/practices/cultures, Militarization and increased police presence, Violations of human rights, Land dispossession, Loss of landscape/sense of place Potential: Specific impacts on women |
Outcome
| Project Status | Stopped |
| Conflict outcome / response: | Migration/displacement Under negotiation New Environmental Impact Assessment/Study |
| Proposal and development of alternatives: | 1)A properly constituted teams from the state and Federal Government to investigate the spread and impact of the Chevron North Apoi gas Well head explosion. 2)EIA should be carried out to ascertain the extend of the damage 3)Chevron should not only immediately stop the raging flames, but clean up the pollution it has cause to the environment. 4)Chevron should adequately compensate the impacted communities. 5)Chevron and the government should send relief materials to all communities impacted by the pollution. |
| Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | Yes |
| Briefly explain: | The investigation of the Chevron Nortn Apoi Gas inferno has been carried out, and Chevron was found responsible for the blowout, which they attributed to operational failure. The blowout had been stopped, due to constant protests from community folks and criticism from environmental activists. |
Sources & Materials
| Juridical relevant texts related to the conflict (laws, legislations, EIAs, etc) |
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| References to published books, academic articles, movies or published documentaries |
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| Other comments: | The daily life of people in Koluama community and its environs in Bayelsa State, reflects the daily existence of most people along the creeks and river in the Niger Delta. Although the gas blow out has been stopped, only after 46 days of continuous blowouts. But not without constant protests from community folks and criticism from environmental activists. NB. N/A means; Not available. The project area affected cannot be quantified since it is offshore gas rig explosion. But the chevron inferno was wide spread affecting several neighboring riverside communities, such as Fish Town, Ikebiri kingdom, Opuama amongst others. |
Meta information
| Contributor: | Nnimmo Bassey |
| Last update | 18/08/2019 |
| Conflict ID: | 583 |
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