The Bayelsa Government said on Thursday that it would assist farmers whose farmlands were affected by the April 15 oil leak from Shell oil field in Otuasega community.
The Bayelsa Commissioner for Environment, Mr Iniruo Wills, in a NAN report from Yenagoa said that the government would ensure that the impacted areas were cleaned up and remediated.
According to Wills, the state government is considering a review of the Joint Investigation Visit report on the April 15 spills.
The Commissioner confirmed that the state government had received reports that more areas impacted by the spill were not captured by the investigative team.
Wills said that the state government would verify the reported exclusion of impacted sites and ensure the firm compensate the victims.
“We have to look at the information and verify it and if it is true that the impacted area was larger than what was originally captured, we shall find a way of addressing the issue.
“Nobody can hide under the cover of technicalities to say a fact that is real will not be captured.
“We have to look at it and address it one way or the other even if it means paying another visit to the area,” Wills said.
The commissioner dismissed the allegation that the spill was meant to sabotage the farmers.
According to him, the spill in Kolo Creek is an operational failure rather than sabotage because the facility is supposed to be a restricted area.
“It is a failure of the operational methods put in place by the operators in their field and this puts a big question mark, especially when you consider the frequency of the occurrence,” he said.
