he Speaker of the House of Representatives Mr Tajudeen Abbas says the House would no longer take kindly with oil companies who refuse to appear before any of the House committees.
He gave the warning at the opening ceremony of the House Committee on Environment Investigative Hearing on Environment, Petroleum Resources (Upstream), And Petroleum Resources (Midstream), the Environmental Impact Of Transporting Crude Oil By Mega Seagoing Vessels From Nembe Creek Trunk To Offshore Crude Oil Storage In The Atlantic Ocean By Aiteo E & P; And the Oil Spillage At Olugboboro Community In Southern Ijaw From Nigerian Agip Oil Company (Now Oando Oil Ltd) Facility, in Abuja.
He gave the committee the mandate to use all legislative powers to compel invitees to the House.
The Speaker urged the committee to get to the root of the oil spillages in Nigeria.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Environment, Mr. Pondo Gbabojor,
said that the gathering was a formal inquiry and a platform to address serious concerns affecting constituents and the environment.
“The issues at hand pertain to the operations of Aiteo E & P Company and Nigerian Agip Oil Company (now Oando Oil Ltd). These companies’ activities allegedly portend grave environmental consequences in their host communities and, by extension, the nation as a whole.
“As we are all aware, the oil industry plays a critical role in the economic development of our country. It also contributes significantly to our national income, provides employment, and supports infrastructure development in various regions. However, this contribution should not come at the cost of the health, well-being, and livelihood of the people in our host communities, nor the expense of the environment”. The chairman said.
He noted that the House of Representatives, at its sitting of Tuesday, March 2024, considered a motion titled ” Environmental Impact of Transporting Crude Oil by Mega Seagoing Vessels from Nembe Creek Trunk to Offshore Crude Oil Storage in the Atlantic Ocean by Aiteo E & P, and resolved to:
Urge the Federal Ministry of Environment to compel the Management of Aiteo E & P to conduct an environmental impact assessment of the project, as dictated by the Environment Impact Assessment Act, 2004, and include the host communities, the State Government and stakeholders, in line with international global practice, subject to scrutiny of the public and environmental experts”, which led to the Investigative hearing.
“Mandate the committees on Environment and Petroleum Resources (Midstream) to:
Investigate Environmental Impact of Transporting Crude Oil by Mega Seagoing Vessels from Nembe Creek Trunk to Offshore Crude Oil Storage in the Atlantic Ocean by Aiteo E & P, and
“Monitor compliance with the Ministry of Environment and the Management of Aiteo E & P with this requirement, and report within four (4) weeks.
“In the same vein, the House also considered a motion titled Oil Spillage at Olugboboro Community in Southern Ijaw from Nigerian Agip Oil Company Facility, and subsequently resolved to:
“Urge the Management of the Nigerian Agip Oil Company to urgently stop/contain the oil leakages from its Facilities at Ogboinbiri/Teibidaba affecting Olugboboro community in southern Ijaw Federal Constituency;
“Also urge the National Emergency Management Agency to urgently supply relief materials to ameliorate the suffering of the impacted communities who have lost sources of livelihood;
“Further urged the Nigeria Agip Oil Company to immediately pay compensation to the affected community for the economic trees and aquatic life damaged since April 2024, by the spillage; and “Mandate the Committees on Environment and Petroleum Resources (Upstream) to carry out extensive investigation into the immediate and remote causes of the spillage, to ascertain and assess the extent of impact to Olugboboro community of Southern Ijaw Federal Constituency and report within four (4) weeks”. He said.
Mr. Gbabojor also said that in the light of the above, the committee have invited the Managing Directors of both Aiteo E & P Company and Nigerian Agip Oil Company (now Oando Oil Ltd) to this Hearing, to provide the committee with detailed explanations regarding their activities, particularly in their areas of operations.
He reiterated that the hearing is a critical step in addressing the issues.
“It is our collective responsibility to ensure that the operations of oil companies in our country are carried out in a manner that is sustainable, environmentally responsible, and respectful of the rights and welfare of the communities they operate in and the Country at large.
“It is also noteworthy, to emphasize that the Committees are not here to vilify any corporate entity but to ensure accountability, transparency, and adherence to environmental laws and regulations that govern the oil sector in our country”. He said.
He stressed that the committee aims to find solutions, hold the responsible parties accountable where necessary, and recommend the appropriate remedial actions.
“The outcome of this Hearing will not only affect the immediate communities involved but will also set a precedent for how we approach environmental issues related to industrial activities in the future. The environment is our common heritage, and we must protect it for ourselves and future generations”. He added.
During the question and answer session, a Director in the Ministry of environment, Mr. Rufikat Ayetoro, said that spillages are caused by leakage and vandalisation of pipelines.
She said that the Investigative hearing is timely and urged the house to make sure that agencies need to work in synergy to address issues affecting the environment.
She also said that there’s the need to train Civil servants who are working in the sector to be conversant with the latest technologies.
The representative of Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Yahaya Aji, said that approval for badging is subject to renewal.
A representative of the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency, Bashir Idris, said that there is need for state ministries to monitor activities leading to spillages.
The chairman of the House Committee however frowned at the absence of chief Executive officers at the hearing.
Olusola Akintonde
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