ExxonMobil denies oil leak from facility in A’Ibom

Mr. Ogechukwu Udeagha, the Regional Communication Manager at ExxonMobil, says there is no oil spill from its facility in Akwa Ibom.

Udeagha said in a statement in Eket on Tuesday that no official report had identified the company’s facility as a potential source of any oil leak.

The communications manager was reacting to a protest on Monday by youths of the Ibeno Local Government Area, alleging a massive oil leak from the ExxonMobil facility.

He said, “There has been no release of oil from any of our facilities; we are not the only operators in the area.

“A preliminary government agency inspection report on the alleged incident did not identify any of our facilities as a potential source.

“The protection of the environment and our host communities remains a key priority in our operations,” Udeagha said.

It would be recalled that youths from Ibeno Local Government Area took to the streets on Monday to protest an alleged oil spill in the area.

Mr. Paul Essiet, a community leader, told newsmen that an oil leak from an ExxonMobil facility had polluted the community’s sources of livelihood.

“We are angry because an oil spill from a facility belonging to ExxonMobil has polluted our farmlands and rivers.

“Farming and fishing activities have been put to a halt since the spill began about a week ago,” he said.

He urged the company to take responsibility by commencing negotiations with the community in order to ensure immediate containment and remediation.