Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, an environmental rights activist and executive director of the Youth and Environmental Advocacy Center (YEAC), warned against the recent explosion of Trans-Niger Delta Pipeline in Bodo, River State, jeopardizing the ongoing political crisis in the region.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Fyneface attributed the explosion to equipment failure rather than political unrest and urged speculation about the main causes of racial tensions or destructiveness.
Fyneface points to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPCL) and Shell, which operate the pipeline, are responsible for maintaining the aging infrastructure.
He explained that pipelines that have been around for more than sixty years are becoming more and more prone to failure.
“These pipelines have been laid for over 60 years and when the pressure is high, they burst and deflate like balloons when they are transported to Bonny’s exit terminal,” he said. He said.
Fyneface notes that the lack of maintenance of these pipes has caused them to deteriorate, making them more susceptible to explosions and spills.
The activist also dismissed claims that the explosion was related to the ongoing political crisis in the River State, especially the threat of young people who had warned of the pipeline due to racial tensions between the Ikwerre and Ijaw ethnic groups.
“Ogoni’s land does not belong to the Ikwall or the Iya people,” Fyneface stressed that regional dynamics in ongoing political disputes were highlighted. He made it clear that while political tensions were real, they were not the cause of the explosion.
Fyneface further clarified that whether the explosion was caused by equipment failure or damage would eventually be determined by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA). He called for a thorough investigation to determine the exact cause and prevent future events.
Naija News He also pointed out that oil spills and pipeline explosions in the Niger Delta occurred regularly, noting that any period without these events should be regarded as a rare moment of celebration.
“No one week or month without these two events is a time to celebrate,” He quipped, highlighting the severity of environmental damage caused by these incidents.
Looking ahead, Fyneface warns that deterioration in infrastructure in the region, as a result of intensifying ongoing divestment by multinational oil companies, could lead to more pipeline failures, explosions and oil spills.
He added, “Many of these things are happening and more will still happen because many of these pipelines are already bad and weak. Drainage is underway and multinational oil companies are handing over these facilities to indigenous companies that lack technical capabilities and financial status.
“So we will be more explosions on this nature, failures of equipment of this nature and more oil leakages in the future, because the system has not yet been given the way it should be.”
