Many farmers in Ogun State have been forced to change occupations after oil spillage caused by vandalism of NNPC pipelines destroyed their farmlands
Samsom Odeyemi wistfully recalls when he was a successful farmer in his native community of Itajirin in the Ogere Remo area of Ogun State. Mr Odeyemi earned millions of naira annually from his 15-hectare farm where he produced rice, vegetable and pepper. All that was lost about six years ago, when petrol started seeping into the farm from a vandalised pipeline of theThe contamination quickly destroyed the farm and Mr Odeyemi now ekes out a living by selling water in the community.
About 850 pipeline points were vandalised between 2015 to 2018, data from the NNPC Monthly Financial and Operations Report states. The monthlythat 1,161 pipeline points were vandalised across the country between January 2019 and September 2020. Nnimo Bassey, the executive director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation, said a few thousand barrels of oil can destroy about 20 hectares of land. Mr Bassey, whose foundation focuses on issues that affect the environment, stressed that if oil spills persist in an area, it may lead to food insecurity. had projected that about 2.5 million people in Nigeria would face acute food insecurity during the June to August 2023 lean season.
Unlike Mr Odeyemi who took to selling water after losing his farm, Mr Yaovi could not think of any other business than farming, so he moved to another community.
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