1.0 PREAMBLE
1.1 The House of Representatives at its plenary sitting of Thursday 26th October 2018 received a petition presented by Hon Abubakar Chike A. on behalf of Seliwei Willy Baidi & Co against The Environmental Degradation, Economic Depreciation And Sustainable Development, Neglect And Crude Oil Pollution: A Save Our Soul Call By The Ogbudugbudu Community In Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State which was referred to the Committee for further legislative action.
2.0 PETITIONER’S PRESENTATION
2.1 The Petitioner in his presentation stated that the Community and the entire people of the area benefit nothing from the vast qualities of crude oil gas and condensate exploited from the land. Instead, environment was badly polluted such that they cannot farm and these have also affected their aquatics life in their fresh water rivers.
2.2 That despite the huge amount, the affected Companies are making in the said area. The community cannot boost of good roads, descent schools, health care facilities and laboratories.
2.3 That their lives are in danger and there is no future hope for their children and generation yet on born.
2.4 That Ogbudugbudu Community villages who is suffering the effect of the pollution includes, Adagbrassa, Lagbogbene, Asantwagbene, Itagbene, OlerigboAririgbene, Stakpagbene, Sorogbene, Okpoyegbene, Ubumigbene, Ojija, AdokogbeneFunamagbene and Ominigbene respectively.
2.5 That the said Community host Chevron Nigeria Ltd within the Olero Oil field in Benin, River and Delta State.
2.6 That the Community has creeks swamps and rivers that flow into it from other parts, therefore causing oil spillage which usually has negative impact on the Community by natural flow of the tide through these rivers and creeks into the territory.
2.7 That the Federal Government has also not helped matters by choosing to besiege the Community with Military personnel who have been intimidating and harassing the people of the Communities from going about their normal life in the area.
2.8 PETITIONER’S PRAYERS:
2.8.1 For the House to address the issues raised in the petition and attract lasting peace to the Community and the Niger Delta in general.
2.8.2 The House to ensure a productive sharing contracts between the crude oil prospectors, Federal, State and Local Government Areas and the host Community such that a percentage of the proceeds shall accrue to the host Community per production of crude oil gas condensate.
2.9 The Community also want reparations for the environmental damage to the community.
3.0 INVESTIGATIVE HEARING
3.1 The investigative Hearing of the matter was concluded after several hearings with petitioners appearing and making both oral and documentary presentations while the management of the Chevron Nigeria Ltd never appear for once to make both oral and documentary submission.
4.0 PRESENTATION BY CHEVRON NIGERIA LTD
4.1 At the Investigative hearing, the management of Chevron Nigeria Ltd never appeared or send any representative in defence of the above subject matter, and this making findings difficult for the Committee. As a result of that, the Committee resolved to make use of the available information to them as their findings to conclude the case and do the report.
5.0 COMMITTEE’S FINDINGS
5.1 The Committee after series of Investigations and perusals of all the documents tendered before them came up with the following issues for determinations
5.2 Whether the activities of the Oil Company sighted in the said areas has done any collateral damage to the people of the community
5.3 The effort of the NOSDRA in finding the lasting solution to the affected areas.
5.4 Whether there is any compensation from Chevron for the effects of Environmental degradation done to the host community by oil pollution in the area.
Arising from the aforementioned, the Committee observed as follows;
5.5.1 That the pictorial evidence of the issue at stake on the Newspaper publication of Niger Voice of 12th September, 2017 shows that the activities has caused a lot of environmental degradation, economic deprivation and sustainable developmental neglect as well as oil spillage and crude oil pollution for the people of the area.
5.5.2 That this has made life difficult as the people of the said community has benefited nothing from the proceeds of the company.
5.6 That the Federal Government of Nigeria was not helping matter as they refused to address the issue at stake instead of using the military to intimidate and harass the people of the area from carrying out their normal ways of life.
5.7 That there was no indication that the management of NOSDRA has ever carried out any environmental impact assessment as regard how the activities of oil companies affect the economic activities of the host communities.
5.8 That the available records given to the Committee by the petitioners have shown that all this environmental pollution from the Chevron Company has been going on in the area without any form of compensation to alleviate the problem of the host community.
6.0 RECOMMENDATION / CONCLUSION
In the view of the finding above, the Committee recommend urging the House to direct the Management of NOSDRA to conduct the environmental impact assessment of affected area and cost implication of collateral damage to the host Community for Chevron Management to pay as compensation.
Rep. Uzoma Nkem Abonta Omale A. Adoyi
Chairman Committee Clerk