Senate Bemoans Devastation of Host Communities Due to Oil Exploration and Exploitation
…Summoned Management of NUPRC to Appear Before it
Abuja (Core Reporters) The Senate committee on host communities, oil and gas has bemoaned that host communities of oil producing areas, whose area environment has been devastated with pollution because of oil exploration and exploitation, have been suffering for a number of years.
This was made known on Thursday by the committee chairman Senator Benson Agadaga (Bayelsa East) during an interview with journalists shortly after a meeting with a team of NUPRC, in Abuja. He added that some of the old wells have dried up, so they have no hope again.
Consequently, the committee summoned the management of Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to appear before it at a later date. However, the committee interactive session with the NUPRC was stalled following the resignation of the chief executive officer, Engineer Farauk Ahmed.
Recall, President Tinubu has nominated Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as CEO of NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as CEO of NMDPRA.
The nominations followed the resignations of Farouk Ahmed as the CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and Gbenga Komolafe as the CEO of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
Agadaga said “Unfortunately, the chief executive has resigned, so we are trying to screen a new person to come in. So, what we are trying to do is to make sure that the new person coming in has to be on his toes to give us what we want in Nigeria, and finally, in the oil-producing areas”.
Continuing, the lawmaker said “I come from where oil was first discovered in Nigeria, in the Oloibiri Oilfield. Shell has now left that place devastated. Nothing is done to remember even their operations in those days. The people are worse off than when they came in. There is nothing to show for their presence. Now, the government, in their wisdom, has said to work on this PIA, and the act has been signed into law. It is left for us Nigerians to implement, but well, one or few of them have been doing well.
Commenting further “A lot of them are failing in their responsibilities. Now I feel NUPRC, as the regulatory body, should make them sit up. So, where they (NUPRC) are failing to carry out this responsibility, then we oversee them.
“So we are asking them (NUPRC) to go and come back, but we published all the names of the settlers that have not complied, and there is a regulation that any settler that does not comply with it should have their license of operation withdrawn”.
“We are trying to make them sit up. We have been doing a lot of talking without working” Agadaga concluded.
