Fishermen renew demand for $1bn Bonga oil spill indemnity fund

Niger Delta fishermen and affected coastal communities have rekindled their demand for the immediate release of a $1 billion indemnity fund they claim was paid by an insurance company as compensation for victims of the December 2011 Bonga oil spill.

The fishermen said the prolonged delay in disbursing the fund had deepened economic hardship, unemployment, food insecurity and poverty among artisanal fishermen and coastal communities in Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta and Ondo states.

In a statement signed by community representatives, Omogbemi Jeremiah and Jeje Olamiyeye, and made available to journalists on Friday, the group said the oil spill occurred on December 20, 2011, following a rupture at Shell’s Bonga Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility.

They said the incident resulted in the discharge of about 40,000 barrels of crude oil, estimated at 6.4 million litres, into the Atlantic Ocean.

According to the affected fishermen, fishing was their primary source of livelihood before the incident, but the environmental damage severely disrupted fishing activities and left many families struggling to survive.

They alleged that Britannia Steamship Insurance Association Limited paid the indemnity to provide compensation and relief to communities affected by the spill, but claimed that the money had not been released to the legitimate beneficiaries.

The fishermen said they had petitioned several government agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), over the alleged diversion of the fund, but had yet to receive a satisfactory response.

They also said they had written several letters and reminders to the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, seeking intervention in the matter.

The group further alleged that the 

Federal Government had constituted a 10-member committee to facilitate the disbursement of the fund to the affected communities.

However, they expressed disappointment that despite the committee’s activities, the compensation had yet to reach the victims.

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The fishermen appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and direct the immediate release of the fund to the affected communities.

They also called on First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, whom they described as a daughter of the Niger Delta, to intervene and ensure that the affected fishermen receive justice.

The fishermen recalled that Justice Mojisola Olatoregun of the Federal High Court in Lagos had delivered an earlier judgment relating to the Bonga oil spill, adding that Mrs Tinubu, who was then Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment, had welcomed the judgment.

They expressed concern that more than a decade after the disaster, the compensation process remained unresolved.

«Your people are suffering. The money meant to restore the livelihoods of the affected fishermen is somewhere, while the people continue to struggle and die in silence,» they said.

The fishermen further alleged that the insurance policy, identified with Certificate Number 0492900, was connected to pollution indemnity involving MT Nothia, with IMO Number 9399480.

They claimed that information allegedly provided by a whistleblower suggested that the fund had been diverted to an undisclosed account.

The group therefore called for a transparent investigation into the whereabouts of the money and urged the Federal Government to ensure that all verified victims receive appropriate compensation.

They said the prolonged delay had compounded the hardship caused by the 2011 oil spill, stressing that affected communities could no longer afford to wait indefinitely.

The fishermen urged the Federal Government to make the release of the indemnity fund a priority and ensure that the process was transparent, accountable and accessible to all legitimate beneficiaries.

They maintained that the release of the fund would provide much-needed relief to thousands of people whose livelihoods were disrupted by the environmental disaster.