Civil society organizations (CSOs) have demanded an immediate cleanup and detoxification of the Kapam Community in Chikun Council of Kaduna State, being impacted by alleged release of toxic chemicals from the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemicals Company (KRPC) currently undergoing turnaround maintenance.
In a joint statement issued at the weekend, the Environmental Rights Action (ERA), Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) and Corporate Accountability and Public Participation (CAPPA), decried KRPC’s failure to notify the host community of the release of noxious chemicals into the atmosphere, knowing the danger such chemicals pose to their health, crops and livestock.
They noted that the Kapam people have raised the alarm that the KRPC’s negligence had led to the contamination of the air and water, as well as the destruction of crops and livestock in the area.
They demanded that the KRPC not only take steps to immediately put an end to further pollution of the area in the interest of public health and livelihood of Kapam residents, but to also commence an assessment of the damage caused by the pollutants with a view to preventing a recurrence and speedily providing commensurate compensation to victims for the losses and damages caused by the environmental pollution.
The Kapam Community, led by its womenfolk, staged a peaceful protest to the KPRC gate on Friday, August 30, 2024, calling for dialogue, remediation and compensation for the losses they have incurred.
Standing in solidarity with the community, the CSOs referenced research showing that refineries often have adverse effects on the health and environment of host communities due to air pollution caused by routine gas flaring and the emission of large amounts of pollutants such as BTEX compounds, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides during the processing of crude oil.
Read Also: Ambitions soar at ALX Abuja August Salon, as tech enthusiasts chart future success
“These often result in acid rains and black soot such as has been experienced by the Ubeji Community in Delta State near the Warri Refinery. These pollutants can cause respiratory problems, including asthma, and bronchitis, and increase the risk of heart disease and lung cancer.
“Other harms in the form of occasional oil spills onsite or offsite can pollute water bodies including the groundwater and rivers/streams, while improper disposal of some hazardous wastes, and accidental fire outbreaks as oil refineries store large quantities of flammable materials, can pose a significant risk of fire and explosion in an environment with shallow risk or disaster management system,” the group stated.
Deputy Executive Director of ERA, Mariann Bassey Oruvwuje, said the issue of compensation “begs the question, as not everything can be compensated. How do you pay for the ill health or death of a loved one, for example, the time and money spent on the farms, and the mental health of the people? Over and above the compensation, we say, ‘DO NO HARM!’.”
She noted that the Kaduna refinery was commissioned in 1980 to supply petroleum products to Northern Nigeria with a capacity of 50,000 barrels per day (bpd). In 1983, the capacity was expanded to 110,000 bpd.
Oruvwuje added: “We wonder to what level this turnaround maintenance would bring this facility to a state where it is safe for the workers, the people, and the environment considering the age of the plant. Would a fresh Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) be conducted? Would reclamation, decommissioning and close-up measures be prioritized considering cases of abandonments that have characterized other refineries in the country? Would the locals be involved? These are some of the questions begging for answers.”
On his part, CAPPA’s Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said: “It is disturbing that at a time when global attention is shifting towards renewable energy sources, Nigeria is still within the claws of fossil fuel extraction and its associated consequences.
“Apart from the absence of corporate oversight expected from the regulators, there appears to have been an absolute disregard at KPRC for the environment and the well-being of the victims. The demand for compensation is genuine. We cannot continue to be victims of governance ineptitude.”
Also, Programme Manager of HOMEF, Stephen Oduware, noted: “Communities hosting refineries have always been sacrifice zones where pollution of both the environment and people continues nonstop. The incident at Kapam Community is another episode of the endless pollution communities have been forced to live with. The impacts are severe as the environment is degraded, farmlands destroyed and biodiversity significantly impacted.
“We, therefore, demand that the pollution must stop. There must be both environmental and health audits. The environment must be remediated and restored. Adequate compensation that takes into account the environmental, social, economic, and health damage caused. The compensation must also take into account the capacity for reproductivity of farmlands destroyed as farming on their land is not just a one-off thing.”
Also speaking, Forest and Biodiversity Programme Coordinator, ERA and Friends of the Earth Africa (FoEA), Rita Uwaka, said: “We stand in solidarity with the women of the Kapam Community whose protest is not just about the need to protect our environment, but a struggle against the historic systemic injustices and gender violations associated with the operations of oil and gas companies in Nigeria.
“We call for an immediate stop to the toxic discharges by the company until a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is conducted and necessary remediation measures are put in place.”
