The Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy and Development (FENRAD) Nigeria has called for an independent, scientific investigation into the recent crude oil pipeline explosion in Owaza community, Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia State.
In a statement issued on Saturday by its Executive Director, Nelson Nnanna Nwafor, the group said the explosion, which destroyed farmlands, homes and livestock, highlighted the growing environmental, public health and safety risks associated with Nigeria’s aging oil and gas infrastructure.
FENRAD urged authorities to immediately constitute a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) involving the Federal Ministry of Environment, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the Abia State Ministry of Environment, the pipeline operator, community representatives, independent environmental experts and civil society organisations.
According to the group, the investigation should determine the cause of the explosion, assess the extent of environmental damage and socio-economic losses, and recommend appropriate remediation and compensation for affected residents.
FENRAD also called for a comprehensive Pipeline Integrity Assessment of the entire pipeline corridor across Owaza and neighbouring communities. It said the assessment should include corrosion checks, wall thickness testing, hydrostatic pressure testing where necessary, leak detection evaluation, geotechnical stability analysis and a full operational risk assessment.
While commending the Abia State Government for visiting the affected communities, the organisation stressed that host communities should not continue to bear the environmental consequences of deteriorating energy infrastructure.
The group further urged regulatory agencies to strengthen oversight of pipeline operations, enforce strict compliance with integrity management programmes and ensure that affected residents receive prompt environmental restoration, transparent disclosure of investigation findings and adequate compensation for verified losses.
