Members of the National Assembly, particularly the House of Representatives have visited the Ogoni Kingdom on a Fact-Finding Mission of the menace of oil spills in several communities.
The House of Representatives Committee on Host Communities which visited some communities in the Gokana local government area of Rivers state to ascertain the extent of damages caused by oil spills on their waters and farmlands promised to do a thorough job.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Host Communities, Rt. Hon. Dumnamene Robinson Dekor, who led members of the committee, representatives of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) as well as chiefs and traditional rulers from the affected communities, visited the hydrocarbon impacted shorelines of the affected communities in response to a petition written by the affected communities in June 2021 to the National Assembly.
Some of the impacted sites visited include Kpogbaa in Bomu, Bon Mbabari Asakpugi, Bon Tamana, Bon Tigara, Bon Kolore, Bon Legbaa, Bon Dukori and Naadube, all in Kpor Community of Gokana Local Government Area of the State.
Hon Dekor, Chairman, House Committee on Host Community, while briefing journalists after the visit, said the committee was in the area based on a petition to the National Assembly in June 2021 by residents of the affected communities.
The House Committee Chairman said the team traversed the communities and their waters and, had an eye contact as well as the claims from the two communities which had to do with the purported spills coming from Shell since 2008.
“We just came to verify and try to see if there is any linkage in their claims. That’s why members of this committee are here.
“Those from the committee and those from Shell are all here so that they will all have direct contact with what the claims are. We have come and we have seen”, he said, adding that the committee would send its report to the House of Representatives for consideration.
Rt. Hon. Dekor said both the affected communities and SPDC have seen things for themselves, assuring that whatever would be the outcome, would be appreciated by all parties.
“We want to also thank members of the communities for not taking laws into their hands. We also want to thank the SPDC for cooperating to the extent that they have come here today. I think so far, all is well and good”, he said.
The former Deputy Speaker in the Rivers State House of Assembly, as well as a former Works Commissioner in the state, appealed to the people of the Niger Delta to support Governor Nyesom Wike to bring to an end, the issue of artisanal refineries, as he decried the frightening level of pollution and its health hazards.
The Chairman of Gokana Local Government Area, Hon. Confidence Deko, in his speech called for thorough remediation, and adequate compensation.
In their separate interviews, the Paramount Ruler of Kpor Community, Mene Avalobari and the
spokesman of Bomu Community, Sir Dominic Legono Saata, demanded holistic clean-up, remediation to restore the environment and compensation.
Credit: DailyIndependent
