The Senate has directed an urgent investigation into the cause of a recent fire incident and oil spill from Manifold Well 8/ Bug 008 in OML 18, Buguma area of Rivers State.
This followed a motion raised by Senator Harry Banigo representing Rivers West in the National Assembly.
In a resolution passed during plenary, the Red Chamber ordered quick action to address the ecological and humanitarian effects on impacted communities.
The Senate requested the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to carry out an immediate investigation and present a report in four weeks or less.
It likewise ordered the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC OML 18 Ltd.) to send emergency response teams to evaluate the situation, conduct remediation measures, and satisfy its corporate social responsibility commitments.
Furthermore, the committees on Environment and Petroleum Resources (Upstream) were entrusted with evaluating oil operators’ compliance with ecological regulations, including the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Act.
The committee is additionally expected to suggest necessary actions like shutting down the impacted well, commence clean-up efforts, and guaranteeing full environmental restoration.
