“Our River Still Polluted, Our People Are Starving” — Monarch Petitions Presidency

Accuse NIMASA of Failure to Clean Up Bonny Oil Spill

BY GBOGBOWA GBOWA

The Paramount Ruler of Ikpokiri/Torukongo coastal communities in Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area of Rivers State, HRH Amb. Victor K.I. Nangibo De I, JP, has petitioned the Presidency over what he described as the prolonged neglect of his people following the May 20, 2026 Bonny Channel oil spill, alleging that the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has yet to clean up the polluted river more than two months after the incident.

In a petition dated July 15, 2026 and addressed to the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman, the monarch painted a grim picture of the suffering in the affected coastal communities, claiming that the continued pollution has paralysed fishing activities, destroyed fishing equipment worth billions of naira and left more than 400 fishermen and women without their means of livelihood.

“Our river remains polluted, our people are starving,” the traditional ruler lamented, appealing to the Presidency for urgent intervention before the humanitarian situation deteriorates further.

According to the petition, the oil spill resulted from the collision involving MV Maersk Valparaiso and MT Lady Martina on May 20, 2026, at about 11:30 a.m., an incident which allegedly discharged large quantities of petroleum products into the community’s fishing waters.

The monarch alleged that the contamination devastated the aquatic environment on which the communities depend for survival.

“More than 400 fishermen and women were affected. Their fishing nets were destroyed, worth billions of naira, and up till today no cleaning has been done to enable us return to fishing,” the petition stated.

He maintained that what began as an environmental disaster has now become a severe economic and humanitarian crisis, as families who rely almost entirely on fishing have been deprived of their only source of income.

According to him, prolonged delays in cleaning the polluted river have made it impossible for local fishermen to resume their occupation, plunging many households into hunger and uncertainty.

The monarch further warned that worsening hardship has begun to depopulate the affected communities.

“People have started leaving their communities because of hunger and neglect by the authorities and the companies involved,” he alleged.

He also claimed that the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, had been informed of the plight of the affected communities but that no meaningful intervention had followed despite repeated appeals for clean-up and compensation.

“The Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of NIMASA is aware and up till today nothing has been done despite our cries for intervention and compensation for our damaged fishing gears,” the monarch alleged.

Appealing directly to Hadiza Bala Usman, whom he credited with supporting developmental initiatives in the area during her tenure as Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the traditional ruler urged her to use her current office to ensure justice for the affected communities.

“We are crying to you, Madam Hadiza Bala Usman, to use your good office to help us so that justice can prevail, all affected people are compensated and the river cleaned. People will start dying if nothing is done before the situation gets out of hand,” the petition read.

The monarch disclosed that a comprehensive list of affected fishermen had earlier been submitted to NIMASA, with copies also forwarded to Maersk Line and Blue Dolphin Petroleum Limited, the companies linked to the vessels involved in the collision, but alleged that none had accepted responsibility or provided relief to the victims.

Residents, he said, fear that unless urgent remediation is undertaken, the prolonged pollution could inflict lasting damage on the marine ecosystem and permanently undermine fishing, the principal economic activity sustaining the coastal settlements.

It will be recalled that following the May 20 collision between MV Maersk Valparaiso and MT Lady Martina in the Bonny Channel, NIMASA confirmed that an oil sheen had been observed on the water after the marine accident, raising concerns over its environmental impact.

The agency also announced that it had commenced an environmental impact assessment and initiated containment measures aimed at limiting further marine pollution.

However, more than two months after those assurances, the affected communities insist the river remains polluted, fishing activities remain at a standstill, and hundreds of families continue to endure severe economic hardship while awaiting both environmental remediation and compensation.