Chairman, House of Representatives, Committee on Environment, Julius Pondi, has called for the clean -up of communities in Buguma, Degema local government area of Rivers State,
affected by the oil spill and fire incident at well 8.
This was the resolution of the Committee, after the investigative hearing of a petition against activities of NNPC Eighteen Operating Limited in Abuja.
The Committee further directed the NNPCL and NNPC Eighteen Operating Limited, to immediately provide urgent intervention by supplying relief materials to the affected communities.
The Julius Pondi led House Panel on Environment, had earlier received a Formal Complaint against NNPC Eighteen Operating Limited, regarding the Spill and Fire Incident at Well 8, at Buguma, Degema.
Pondi disclosed that following the gas leak reported on December 1,2024, a Joint Investigation Team comprising the NNPC Eighteen Operating Ltd, NOSDRA, NUPRC, Rivers State Ministry of Environment, and the representatives of Buguma community, visited the site on December 6, 2024, during which certain directives were issued to the Operator to forestall escalation of the situation.
The committee chairman regretted that the incident has resulted in air pollution and significant contamination of bodies of water and farmland, leading to the loss of biodiversity and marine habitats, thereby exposing both Indigenous people and residents of Buguma and its environs to grave health risks and environmental hazards.
In response to the committee’s invitation, NNPCL conveyed inability to attend and sought an extension of three weeks, to enable it provide necessary information and appear accordingly.
It was however gathered that the NNPCL had already embarked on the directive to commence the process of remediation, following the clean-up of the impacted communities, by sending relief materials to ameliorate the situation.
