NPDC Shuns Reps Over N12bn Oil Spill Compensation Claim

OrderPaperToday – The House of Representatives committee on Environment and Habitat has threatened to issue a bench warrant on the Nigerian Petroleum Development company (NPDC) if its fails to appear before the committee on the next adjourned date.

The threat was issued in National Assembly during a meeting held with stakeholders of Ikara community of Edo state, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and the NPDC which failed to turn up.

The Ikara community had earlier submitted a petition to the House of Representatives committee on Public Petition against the NDPC, accusing the firm of negligence and refusal to comply on the matter of post spill impact assessment damage, clean-up remediation, restoration and compensation for crude oil that have degraded Ikara community.

After consideration on the matter by the committee on Public Petition, a report was submitted to the House which resolved that the Committee on Environment should ascertain the extent of the environmental damages for the NPDC to bear 20%of the cost.

The representative of Ikara community said they want the House of Representatives to assist them by prevailing on NPDC to pay adequate compensation to their people for the years of ruinous crude oil pollution and environmental degradation caused as a result of equipment failure.

According to him, “it is our passionate appeal that the House graciously intervene in our quest for environmental justice by compelling both NOSDRA and NPDC to pay N11.7billion as compensation for the restoration and clean-up of our land”.

He said further that “Ikara community’s ecological woes has been further compounded by a 28 kilometer stretch of clustered vegetation in the Ogba River which has continued to hinder navigation in the waterways and cause untold hardship for the once fishing and agrarian inhabitants of the Ikara community.”

The representative of NOSDRA, Mr Olubunmi Akindele said all efforts by it agency to get NPDC to comply with resolution of the National Assembly has proven abortive.

“NPDC didn’t comply with the resolution of the house, even as a regulatory agency we have written several correspondents to them on this issue but as I speak to you no response from them.

Ruling on the matter, the chairman of the committee, Mr Obinna Chidoka, appealed to the representative of Ikara community to be patience with committee that they would do all in their power to resolve the issues amicably.