Reps summons NNPC, Chevron over inferno at abandoned oil wells

The House of Representatives has resolved to invite the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporations and Cheveron Nigeria Limited to brief its appropriate committees on fire gutting abandoned oil wells.

This was sequel to a motion of urgent public importance moved by Victor Akinjo (APC, Ondo) on the urgent need for intervention in the incident of burning oil fields under the Joint Venture of NNPC/Cheveron Nigeria limited.

While moving the motion, Akinjo expressed sadness “at the lingering fire that keeps spreading with greater destructive implications while the company or the regulatory authorities fail to come up with any constructive idea on how to put out the fire.”

He raised concerns that if immediate action is not taken, the longest coastlines in Nigeria with all its economic potentials may be completely destroyed by the raging fire.

Reacting to the motion, Fred Agbedi (PDP, Bayelsa) slammed the NNPC and International Oil Companies (IOCs) for leaving abandoned oil wells without any measure to prevent disasters such as fire.

He said: “This fire has been on for days, what are the measures taken to protect the people against such disaster? If environmental assessment had been done on that barren well, this would not have happened. What is the level of security arrangement around the barren well? This fire must have affected the ecosystem.’

The House in a unanimous voice vote adopted the motion urging the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide relief materials to the affected communities.

It also urged NNPC and other agencies to mobilize relevant officials to these fields to extinguish the fire and mandated its relevant committees to ensure adequate compensation of concerned communities and ensure compliance.