Oil Companies Summoned for Environmental Damage in Host Areas

The joint committees of the House of Representatives yesterday summoned Mr. Mele Kyari, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Limited), to appear before them on May 8, 2024. The summons is in connection with a probe into environmental degradation caused by oil companies' activities in Nigeria's oil-producing communities. 
 
Pondi Julius Gbabojor, Chairman of the House Committee on Environment, issued this summons during an investigative hearing focused on examining and addressing service issues and unprecedented environmental damage within these communities. Aside from NNPC Limited's CEO, chief executives from other major oil companies, along with representatives from relevant government agencies, have also been called to testify before the joint committee. 
 
The House Committees involved in this investigation include those responsible for Environment, Petroleum Resources (Upstream), Petroleum Resources (Downstream), and Climate Change. 
 
Gbabojor stressed that the issue at hand was grave and warned about imposing suitable sanctions if those invited failed to attend as required. 
 
In addition to NNPC Limited, other key players in Nigeria’s petroleum industry who received summons include Chevron Nigeria Limited, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, Total Energies E&P Nigeria Ltd., Oando Oil Limited, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, among others. 
 
Governmental bodies that are expected to provide insights into their regulatory roles over these corporations were also summoned; they include the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the National Oil Spill Detection Response Agency (NOSDRA), and the National Environmental Standards Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA). 
 
Despite being notified well ahead of time regarding this important probe, only four out of the 35 invited entities showed up when proceedings commenced yesterday. These poor attendance figures suggest a lackadaisical attitude towards their corporate responsibilities towards safeguarding our environment by some stakeholders, which should not be tolerated. 
 
However, NESREA, through its representative, sent a written excuse explaining why it could not make it to the hearings. The rest of the absent entities did not provide any reasons to justify their absence. 
 
This investigation is a significant step towards holding corporations accountable for their role in environmental degradation, especially in oil-producing communities that bear the brunt of pollution and other related issues caused by these activities. It is also an opportunity to shed light on government agencies' performance concerning regulation and enforcement of environmental standards within Nigeria's petroleum industry. 
 
The summons issued by Pondi Julius Gbabojor to NNPC Limited’s CEO, Mr. Mele Kyari, among others, signifies a clear intent from our legislative arm of government to ensure that no one shirks off their responsibilities when it comes to protecting our environment, which should be applauded. 
 
It remains crucial now more than ever before that all stakeholders involved in this probe cooperatively work together so as to find lasting solutions towards mitigating environmental damage caused by oil exploration activities across Nigeria's oil-rich regions.