By Sunday Ameh
The Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy and Development has called for a joint investigation into the recent crude oil pipeline explosion in Owaza, Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia State, urging authorities to replace ageing pipeline infrastructure across the affected area.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Executive Director of FENRAD, Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor, described the incident as a reminder of the environmental, public health and safety risks posed by obsolete oil and gas infrastructure in the Niger Delta.
The group said although the Abia State Government attributed the explosion to the failure of an ageing pipeline reportedly installed in the late 1950s, an independent and scientific investigation was necessary to establish the actual cause of the incident.
FENRAD called for the immediate constitution of a Joint Investigation Visit involving the Federal Ministry of Environment, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the Abia State Ministry of Environment, the pipeline operator, community representatives, independent environmental experts and civil society organisations.
According to the organisation, the investigation should determine the precise cause of the explosion, assess the extent of environmental contamination, evaluate the socio-economic impact on affected communities and recommend appropriate remediation and compensation measures.
The environmental rights group also urged authorities to conduct a comprehensive Pipeline Integrity Assessment on the entire pipeline corridor traversing Owaza and neighbouring communities.
It said the assessment should include corrosion evaluation, wall thickness testing, hydrostatic pressure testing where necessary, leak detection system evaluation, geotechnical stability assessment and a comprehensive risk analysis to determine the safety of the infrastructure.
FENRAD further demanded the immediate decommissioning and replacement of pipelines found to have exceeded their operational lifespan or failed to meet modern engineering and environmental safety standards.
The organisation stressed that environmental protection should go beyond emergency response, noting that preventive asset integrity management, routine maintenance, continuous monitoring and timely replacement of obsolete infrastructure remain essential responsibilities of pipeline operators.
It also called for immediate environmental sampling and laboratory analysis of affected soil, groundwater, surface water, sediments and air quality to determine the extent of pollution and guide remediation efforts.
FENRAD urged regulatory agencies to strengthen oversight of pipeline integrity management programmes across Nigeria’s oil-producing communities, warning that preventable infrastructure failures continue to threaten biodiversity, livelihoods, food security and the right of citizens to a clean and healthy environment.
The group added that the Owaza explosion should serve as a catalyst for comprehensive reforms in pipeline asset management rather than becoming another case of avoidable environmental degradation in the Niger Delta.
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