Posted by Okoro-Utip, Ibeno LGA, Akwa Ibom State farmers have complained about oil spills harming their crops and aquatic creatures.
On Tuesday, farmers voiced the concern at a Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) community prospection meeting at Okoro-Utip Community Hall.
They indicated that oil on crops has caused low output, and that many of them obtained microfinance bank loans but were disappointed by their crops.
Pastor AbasiUbong John, a community farmer who hosted HOMEF on his farm, said cassava stems he planted over a year ago had started rotting and have yet to develop tubers.
He said all his vegetables have turned yellow, so fertilizers won’t help.
He said, “This cassava you see here, I planted it over a year ago, and when you harvest, nothing will be inside. Leave it longer and it will deteriorate from the ground.
“Oil that enters the farm destroys grass, so even organic manure and fertilizer won’t work. Oil drilling has hurt Ibeno people. You can’t see earthworms, millipedes, etc., which help aerate our soil.
Another farmer, Elizabeth Ifum, warned that fertilizer-planted crops risk her people’s health since plants won’t develop without it.
Stephen Oduware, Project Lead, HOMEF, called Ibeno a hot location for oil contamination and urged residents to rise up and demand what they deserve.