Port Harcourt — Abonnema wharf community is a popular but dangerous jetty in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. It is a waterfront community with an estimated population of over 23, 000 different families, living close to petroleum tank farms belonging to different oil companies, such as Sigmund Nigeria Limited ( now Aiteo energy resource), Sorelink oil and Dozzy oil and gas.

Angala-Pele- Poku, as it was originally known in the 1960s, the overcrowded shanty community, where 3-4 people share a sleeping room, is usually a busy commercial area, where tankers queue up daily to load refined petroleum products. It is also situated not too far from the Rivers State Government House, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) , the Rivers State Secretariat among others, which raises concern among many as well as residents of the area, of a possible explosion that may affect not just the 23, 000 families, but also government institutions.

This year, a major tragedy, witnessed by this reporter was averted when a fully loaded petroleum tanker exploded at a distance not too far from one of the companies that owns petroleum tank farms, damaging houses and forcing thousands of people to flee their homes for safety, considering the crowded nature of the houses, and a possibility of the fire extending to the tanks.

This reporter with two other journalists from Business Day and a Port Harcourt based newspaper, experienced the hazards of their profession when they were surrounded by youths in Abonnema Wharf, for the trying to find out the cause of a tanker explosion, that sent the entire residents and oil companies in the area to scamper for safety.

It took the intervention of some elders in the community, who took this reporter and his colleagues into their compounds, only to gather from a source that "Those boys attacking you people are the same boys who caused the explosion by going under the tanker to smoke Indian hemp, and they are afraid that when you get to find out and publish, they may be in trouble."

Mr. Jim Tom-George is the Public Relations Officers of the Abbonnema Wharf House Owners Association (AWHOA). He told this reporter "As a community, we have written petitions to the Rivers State Commissioner of police over the safety of the community from the activities of these oil companies, but nothing has been done about that."

Residents of Abonnema Wharf, who are believed to be 80% employed by the coastal marine, 25 % civil servants/oil workers and predominantly from the Ijaw and Kalabari ethnic groups, have continuously raised alarm over their safety, as regards the activities of oil companies surrounding them.

"The world must come to our aid! Tank farms are explosions waiting to happen. Living with petroleum tank farms is Hell!. Petroleum tanks will kill us, remove them now! Abbonnema Wharf community is not a refinery but home to over 23, 000 families. Take away your tanks of death," Abbonnema residents protest.

The PRO of AWHOA said that the community had repeatedly written several petitions to relevant authorities as well as the oil companies, expressing concern over the impending danger, but had never gotten a favorable response.

"We have been writing petitions to the government on this, but nothing has been done. What we are saying is that government should always take the lives of this community into consideration, when siting any economic development project. The Department for Petroleum Resources (DPR) who gave these companies the licenses to operate, should have carried out an environmental impact assessment. In developed countries, petroleum tank farms are built kilometers away from peoples' residential areas.

Now between January and February 2007 we experienced pollution from the sandblasting of tank farms, which sent residents to hospital and clinics for medical treatment. In May 2007, a fire caused by a fuel leakage raged for over thirty minutes. In August 2008, over 120 drums of petroleum oil facility spilled onto the streets of Abonnema Wharf, and members of the community were left to initiate clean-up efforts. In the process, hundreds of jerry cans were filled up. So also in January this year, a tanker loaded with refined petroleum sparked a fire that damaged houses, cars, crops and properties. It also resulted to injuries that sent many young people to the hospital." Tom George observed.

This reporter gathered that in the early 1960s, the petroleum tank depots in Abonnema Wharf were originally used for the storage of palm oil , before they were later sold to the oil companies, and were converted for the storage of refined petroleum products. The number of tanks surrounding the community according to a source, are estimated at 50 with Shorlinks owning about 5, while Sigmund has about 24 tanks, with the remaining are owned by other oil companies.

In a petition written by the Abonnema landlords/landladies Association to the Rivers State Ministry for Environment, the community pointed out that "The above umbrella body of landlord/landladies of Abonnema Wharf community writes to draw the Ministries and agencies attention to the grave, ongoing environmental hazards in Abbonema Wharf community, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, threatening public health and the environmental safety of the residents regarding Sigmund, Shorelink, Dozzy and other tank farm depots, located close to residential homes.

Businesses and the natural habitat of aquatic livestock, conflagration arising from possible explosion will devastate not only Abonnema Wharf, but also the Government House in Port Harcourt, state secretariat complex, Braithwaithe memorial hospital Central Bank Port Harcourt, part of old GRA and the whole mile one, NPA Rivers Port, Rivers State court complex , and offices which are just within scorching distance of the depots."

This reporter also gathered that the entire community including Njemazi (already demolished) is planned for demolition by the Rivers State government, as it is being regarded as safe havens for criminal elements who terrorist the state.

"Despite the presence of security personnel and check points along the entry to Abonnema Jetty, criminals still have a field day. If you are living here in Abonnema, you have to be careful of buying things from the youths. This is because most of these things are stolen properties. One funny thing about these youths is that when they run out of money after selling those stolen goods to you, they come back for another payment. If you refuse giving them something, they will threaten to go back and inform the original owner that you bought his or her stolen goods," A resident of the area who prefers anonymity, told this reporter.

However, the PRO of AHOA said, "The perception of the waterfront communities as being inhabited by criminals, and therefore being impenetrable and difficult to effect arrest in the area, is also not entirely true. It is all a mere excuse laced with deceit to uproot the Rivers Ijaw strong holds from Port Harcourt."

On the planned demolition, the PRO accused the state government of buying out properties from the owners, with the intention of using the land for whatever pleases it, including bringing in more oil companies and foreign investors to take over the land for other business venture.

The Rivers State Commissioner for Information and communication, Mrs Ibim Semenitari could not reached for comment, and did not also respond to several telephone calls and text messages sent to her.

"The Abonnema Wharf, if demolished will render an estimated 23,000 different families homeless. We have nowhere to go to from Abonnema Whaf community and it is made up of extended communities of (Afikpo, Akwuzu, Ojike, Uruala, Elechi and the displaced Njemazi waterfront", he said.
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Njemanzi, which is one of the over 40 water-front communities, scattered across the state capital, was brought down to rubbles by bulldozers of the state government on the orders of Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi on August 28, 2009.

Recently, the Regional campaign coordinator of Amnesty International, Mr. Daniel Valls, disclosed in Port Harcourt, while speaking at the launch of 'people live here' campaign to mark the 2011 World Habitat Day, that more than two years after the demolition of Njemazi, over 17,000 residents of the waterfront are still homeless, and that the state government was yet to kick-start its much talked-about urban renewal programme.

Experts and residents alike see Abonnema as the most dangerous jetty to live in, whether it is seen from the perspective of the surrounding oil tanks and its proximity to government establishments, the uncertainty associated with the planned demolition of the area, or the dangers of living with criminal elements. All eyes are now on the Rivers State government.
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http://allafrica.com/stories/201110180497.html

Abagworo:

Port Harcourt — Abonnema wharf community is a popular but dangerous jetty in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. It is a waterfront community with an estimated population of over 23, 000 different families, living close to petroleum tank farms belonging to different oil companies, such as Sigmund Nigeria Limited ( now Aiteo energy resource), Sorelink oil and Dozzy oil and gas.

Angala-Pele- Poku, as it was originally known in the 1960s, the overcrowded shanty community, where 3-4 people share a sleeping room, is usually a busy commercial area, where tankers queue up daily to load refined petroleum products. It is also situated not too far from the Rivers State Government House, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) , the Rivers State Secretariat among others, which raises concern among many as well as residents of the area, of a possible explosion that may affect not just the 23, 000 families, but also government institutions.

This year, a major tragedy, witnessed by this reporter was averted when a fully loaded petroleum tanker exploded at a distance not too far from one of the companies that owns petroleum tank farms, damaging houses and forcing thousands of people to flee their homes for safety, considering the crowded nature of the houses, and a possibility of the fire extending to the tanks.

This reporter with two other journalists from Business Day and a Port Harcourt based newspaper, experienced the hazards of their profession when they were surrounded by youths in Abonnema Wharf, for the trying to find out the cause of a tanker explosion, that sent the entire residents and oil companies in the area to scamper for safety.

It took the intervention of some elders in the community, who took this reporter and his colleagues into their compounds, only to gather from a source that "Those boys attacking you people are the same boys who caused the explosion by going under the tanker to smoke Indian hemp, and they are afraid that when you get to find out and publish, they may be in trouble."

Mr. Jim Tom-George is the Public Relations Officers of the Abbonnema Wharf House Owners Association (AWHOA). He told this reporter "As a community, we have written petitions to the Rivers State Commissioner of police over the safety of the community from the activities of these oil companies, but nothing has been done about that."

Residents of Abonnema Wharf, who are believed to be 80% employed by the coastal marine, 25 % civil servants/oil workers and predominantly from the Ijaw and Kalabari ethnic groups, have continuously raised alarm over their safety, as regards the activities of oil companies surrounding them.

"The world must come to our aid! Tank farms are explosions waiting to happen. Living with petroleum tank farms is Hell!. Petroleum tanks will kill us, remove them now! Abbonnema Wharf community is not a refinery but home to over 23, 000 families. Take away your tanks of death," Abbonnema residents protest.

The PRO of AWHOA said that the community had repeatedly written several petitions to relevant authorities as well as the oil companies, expressing concern over the impending danger, but had never gotten a favorable response.

"We have been writing petitions to the government on this, but nothing has been done. What we are saying is that government should always take the lives of this community into consideration, when siting any economic development project. The Department for Petroleum Resources (DPR) who gave these companies the licenses to operate, should have carried out an environmental impact assessment. In developed countries, petroleum tank farms are built kilometers away from peoples' residential areas.

Now between January and February 2007 we experienced pollution from the sandblasting of tank farms, which sent residents to hospital and clinics for medical treatment. In May 2007, a fire caused by a fuel leakage raged for over thirty minutes. In August 2008, over 120 drums of petroleum oil facility spilled onto the streets of Abonnema Wharf, and members of the community were left to initiate clean-up efforts. In the process, hundreds of jerry cans were filled up. So also in January this year, a tanker loaded with refined petroleum sparked a fire that damaged houses, cars, crops and properties. It also resulted to injuries that sent many young people to the hospital." Tom George observed.

This reporter gathered that in the early 1960s, the petroleum tank depots in Abonnema Wharf were originally used for the storage of palm oil , before they were later sold to the oil companies, and were converted for the storage of refined petroleum products. The number of tanks surrounding the community according to a source, are estimated at 50 with Shorlinks owning about 5, while Sigmund has about 24 tanks, with the remaining are owned by other oil companies.

In a petition written by the Abonnema landlords/landladies Association to the Rivers State Ministry for Environment, the community pointed out that "The above umbrella body of landlord/landladies of Abonnema Wharf community writes to draw the Ministries and agencies attention to the grave, ongoing environmental hazards in Abbonema Wharf community, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, threatening public health and the environmental safety of the residents regarding Sigmund, Shorelink, Dozzy and other tank farm depots, located close to residential homes.

Businesses and the natural habitat of aquatic livestock, conflagration arising from possible explosion will devastate not only Abonnema Wharf, but also the Government House in Port Harcourt, state secretariat complex, Braithwaithe memorial hospital Central Bank Port Harcourt, part of old GRA and the whole mile one, NPA Rivers Port, Rivers State court complex , and offices which are just within scorching distance of the depots."

This reporter also gathered that the entire community including Njemazi (already demolished) is planned for demolition by the Rivers State government, as it is being regarded as safe havens for criminal elements who terrorist the state.

"Despite the presence of security personnel and check points along the entry to Abonnema Jetty, criminals still have a field day. If you are living here in Abonnema, you have to be careful of buying things from the youths. This is because most of these things are stolen properties. One funny thing about these youths is that when they run out of money after selling those stolen goods to you, they come back for another payment. If you refuse giving them something, they will threaten to go back and inform the original owner that you bought his or her stolen goods," A resident of the area who prefers anonymity, told this reporter.

However, the PRO of AHOA said, "The perception of the waterfront communities as being inhabited by criminals, and therefore being impenetrable and difficult to effect arrest in the area, is also not entirely true. It is all a mere excuse laced with deceit to uproot the Rivers Ijaw strong holds from Port Harcourt."

On the planned demolition, the PRO accused the state government of buying out properties from the owners, with the intention of using the land for whatever pleases it, including bringing in more oil companies and foreign investors to take over the land for other business venture.

The Rivers State Commissioner for Information and communication, Mrs Ibim Semenitari could not reached for comment, and did not also respond to several telephone calls and text messages sent to her.

"The Abonnema Wharf, if demolished will render an estimated 23,000 different families homeless. We have nowhere to go to from Abonnema Whaf community and it is made up of extended communities of (Afikpo, Akwuzu, Ojike, Uruala, Elechi and the displaced Njemazi waterfront", he said.
Relevant Links

Njemanzi, which is one of the over 40 water-front communities, scattered across the state capital, was brought down to rubbles by bulldozers of the state government on the orders of Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi on August 28, 2009.

Recently, the Regional campaign coordinator of Amnesty International, Mr. Daniel Valls, disclosed in Port Harcourt, while speaking at the launch of 'people live here' campaign to mark the 2011 World Habitat Day, that more than two years after the demolition of Njemazi, over 17,000 residents of the waterfront are still homeless, and that the state government was yet to kick-start its much talked-about urban renewal programme.

Experts and residents alike see Abonnema as the most dangerous jetty to live in, whether it is seen from the perspective of the surrounding oil tanks and its proximity to government establishments, the uncertainty associated with the planned demolition of the area, or the dangers of living with criminal elements. All eyes are now on the Rivers State government.
.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201110180497.html

The place is very dangerous, The Governor, Rotimi Amaechi has been fighting those people in court since 3 years now to dismantle and rebuild their town for them but they refused, they even called him many names and took him to court, claiming its their town and no one can force them out. The governor had good intentions and wanted to build new city for them but they refused. All these problem is bc Amaechi is not from their tribe. Sad but true