A Non-Governmental Organization, The Ecological Action Advocacy Foundation (TEAAF), has advocated a stop to all forms of extractive activities in oil and non oil producing communities in the Niger Delta region,

This call was made when the organization had a one day fact finding outreach to ascertain the impacts of extractives on the environment, health and livelihoods of the people of Gelegele community in Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo State.

The advocacy visit also saw the organisation giving free medical services to the people in the community.

The outreach was themed: Analysing the Environmental & Health Impacts of Extractive Activities in Niger Delta.

Natives of Gelegele community are by nature farmers and fishermen/women but due to oil extractive activities, they are unable to farm nor can they catch fish in the rivers. Their community produces oil yet they dwell in abject poverty.

Anyone who cares to visit Gelegele community does not need to be told the level of poverty among the people; it can be seen all over the faces of the people particularly the malnourished children who run about the streets without knowing what they are passing through.

Residents of Gelegele community literally pass through hell on a daily basis. The weather is permanently hot regardless of the season or time due to a flue-gas stack or smoke stack permanently stationed in the heart of the community. The stack emits gas to the air at round-the-clock, thereby causing heat and endangering lives of the people.

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Despite all these challenges occasioned by extractive activities, Gelegele and her people have nothing to show as direct benefit. There is no government presence in Gelegele, and the oil company operating the community has done something next to nothing in the community. The road linking the Gelegele community and Benin is an eyesore; it has completely collapsed thereby making it impassible for motorists. This oil producing community has no portable water, the only borehole sinked by the oil company operating for the people is with a rusted iron tank. Drinking water with iron particles from the rusted iron reservoir causes harm to the people’s health, so said a resident. The people of Gelegele have no access to modern healthcare. The only healthcare centre in the community is not functioning optimally. It is in an abandoned state.

This ugly state of the community and her people perhaps prompted TEAAF to visit the people with a free medical outreach. The foundation visited Gelegele with a team of medical professionals who carried out different types of tests on the people and also dispense free drugs.

Speaking at the event, the Executive Director, TEAAF, Ann Ajirioghene Offi, said the idea of the medical outreach was to get detail and factual health implications of the gas flaring and other extractive activities going on in communities, adding that Gelegele was chosen as kick start point because of the many stories about the place and its peculiarities.

Offi said the programme was aimed at providing also “free medical support to meet their current lack of care predicament as well as guiding them on how to survive the stress and health challenges they face in their community.”

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The Executive Director, who added that the programme also involved sensitisation on health, disclosed that no fewer than 100 residents benefited from the free medical outreach.

“We came here for a visit some time back and we saw the state of the community and the people’s health. So, we deemed it fit that it will be of good sensitising the people in danger of gas flaring and extractive activities in the heart of the community,” Offi added.

The Executive Director continued: “We are taking this medical outreach to other oil producing communities across the Niger Delta but we decided to kick start the programme in Gelegele because of the many stories about the community. And from the medical test we carried out, we discovered that eye challenges, body hitching, high blood pressure and other ailments are rampant among the people. All these are caused by the gas flaring in the heart of the community.”

Also speaking on his findings, Dr. Nicholas Avabore Akpevboghene, a medical practitioner who was among the team, said: “From my observation from the people I have seen today in this community, there are actually adverse effects of the gas flaring in the community. In the sense that most of them have issues relating to hitching, hypertension, and that is as a result of the flare and also, as a result of the pollution that has actually affected the water they use to bathe.”

One of the beneficiaries, Elder Emmanuel Obi, said it has been very difficult for them to get medical care because of the distance and finance, adding that the free medical care has brought relief to many.

Also speaking, another beneficiary, Mr. Goday Kororo, said: “We were given free tests and drugs. This type of free medical care has not happened in this community before, so this is the first time. Even anytime Dubri oil does this kind of free medical care, they give us expired drugs.”

Another beneficiary, Sode Sharon, a nursing mother said: “They ran tests on my baby and I, and thereafter gave us the needed drugs. I want to sincerely appreciate the organisers.”