Before Shell, a multinational oil and gas company, passed its pipelines through Odimodi, a community in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta state in Nigeria its residents were once proud fishermen, who made huge fortunes from their profession.
Presently, this is no longer the case as spills from oil exploration activities around the community’s river have driven its aquatic inhabitants into near extinction, threatening the sustainability of the fishermen’s livelihood.
In February, the villagers abandoned the river and sunk their fishing nets inside the drainages in front of their houses. They claimed fishes and other aquatic animals had swum up the gutters in search of fresh water, after the oil-polluted river could no longer provide a habitable environment for them.
Odimodi is one of the communities in the Niger Delta that host multinational oil corporations. However, as an aftermath of the union, oil spill incidences have continued to impact the lives of the inhabitants of the community negatively.
According to Toxic Tours, a community-led mapping experience on the impacts of plastic production, the residents are now exposed to greater risks by venturing far into the sea for fishing.
“Fishing, periwinkle gathering and basket weaving are essential for the livelihoods of the villagers, but the waterways remain polluted and the local ecosystem has been destroyed,” the report reads in part.