Dateline: Warri North, Delta State, Nigeria. 29 November 2025
Communities in Opuama and Polobubo (Tsekelewu) in Egbema Kingdom, Warri North, Delta State, write to reaffirm their commitment to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles and call on media organisations, advocacy groups, and regulators to rely on verifiable facts and recognised community voices when reporting on OML40.
Separating Legacy Pollution from Current ESG Efforts
Speaking as an indigene of Opuama and Polobubo, and as a community advocate with formal executive-level ESG certification from The ESG Institute, registered in the Isle of Man, a British Crown Dependency, Pumokumo B. Tiemo said any honest assessment of OML40 must separate legacy pollution and illegal refining from current efforts to stabilise and develop the host communities.
“Serious contamination in our creeks and groundwater has been documented in the past, especially during the era when Shell Nigeria operated the facility and during the height of illegal local refining,” Tiemo said. “Our people have lived with that reality for years. But it is misleading to ignore the progress that is being made today or to publish allegations that are not backed by proper engagement with those of us who actually live in these communities.”
Tiemo noted that peer-reviewed research has already confirmed significant hydrocarbon pollution in Opuama’s groundwater linked to repeated crude oil spills over many years and that independent work has shown the destructive effects of artisanal refining and pipeline vandalism across the Niger Delta.
He stressed that spills caused by past operators or illegal refineries cannot be imposed on the new operators of OML40.
Communities Disown Recent NGO Claims
Tiemo stated that the communities do not know and have not mandated the NGO that recently issued public claims about OML40.
“Those statements were not developed with our recognised leaders or structures in Opuama and Polobubo,” he said. “They do not reflect the reality on ground. We welcome sincere advocacy, but we cannot accept narratives that misinform the public about what is happening here today.”
ESG Progress Through Partnership
According to Tiemo, the real turning point in OML40 has been the practical implementation of ESG through partnership between the current operators and credible local leadership.
“Respected traditional and community leaders from Egbema Kingdom and Polobubo understand both the culture of our people and the realities of oil operations,” he said. “They have pushed for development that is rooted in the needs of Opuama, Polobubo, and neighbouring communities, while maintaining peace and dialogue with the companies.”
List of Completed and Ongoing Projects
OPUAMA and Aza-Ama Zion
- A concrete jetty at Aza-Ama Zion
- Two-bedroom residential flats at Aza-Ama Zion and Ebi Ororo
- A fully furnished cottage hospital with medical equipment
- Staff quarters, perimeter fencing
- Solar system and generator
- Rebuilding and support of Oloduwa Primary School
- Doctors’ staff quarters
- A 400-metre walkway within Opuama
POLOBUBO / TSEKELEWU
- Multiple two-bedroom residential flats in Polobubo, Pinakiri Zion, and Lagos Quarters
- A civic centre in Polobubo/Tsekelewu
- Ogono-Ama Primary School
- Kabe Secondary School
- Dredging of Polobubo/Tsekelewu waterways (Phases 1–3 completed; Phase 4 survey ongoing)
Other Riverine Locations
- A concrete jetty at Ikpotogbene (work ongoing)
Corridor-Wide Infrastructure
- Direct electrification of Opuama and Polobubo/Tsekelewu (in progress)
- Opuama water project (about to commence)
- Polobubo/Tsekelewu water project (scheduled to start)
“Electrification, school buildings, jetties, walkways, hospital facilities, dredged waterways and water projects are not theories. They are projects our people can see and use,” Tiemo said.
Role of Origin Global Nigeria Limited
Tiemo also emphasised the role of Origin Global Nigeria Limited, identified in public records as a Nigerian oil and gas services company.
Community leaders say Origin Global has worked with the joint venture to tackle illegal refining and pipeline vandalism—reducing environmental damage, improving security, and creating employment for local residents.
“Illegal refineries and vandalism have caused massive environmental harm in our area,” Tiemo explained. “Work to shut down those activities is an ESG action in itself because it reduces ongoing pollution.”
Community Leaders Endorse Statement
Festus Pere Kin
A leader from Egbema Kingdom, an indigene of Polobubo and recognised Peace Ambassador in Delta State, reaffirmed Tiemo’s position.
“We support any genuine call for cleanup and justice,” Festus Pere Kin said. “At the same time, we must be accurate. To the best of our knowledge there are currently no confirmed or officially recorded deaths in Opuama or Polobubo that can be directly linked to the recent incidents some NGOs have described.”
Honourable Sule Austin E.
Majority Leader, Warri North Local Government Area, and respected community leader from Opuama, also endorsed the statement.
“We know our environment, we know the history of spills in this area, and we will always raise and address them when they occur. What we will not do is impose spills caused by past operators or by illegal refineries and pipeline vandalism on the new operators.”
Communities Commit to Strengthening ESG in OML40
Tiemo stressed that the communities are not denying the existence of environmental damage, and they remain active and accountable in managing their reality.
Looking ahead, there are plans for a skills acquisition centre in the Opuama-Polobubo axis to empower local youths, complementing existing projects in health, education, security, and infrastructure.
“With the right support, we can make OML40 a model of how ESG should work in practice,” Tiemo concluded.
