By Comfort Olayinka
The Chairman House Committee on Environment Hon. Pondi Julius has assured the Committee’s commitment in Making sure host communities gets justice as it prioritizes environmental preservation and community wellbeing.
Hon Julius made this assertion during the joint committee on environment, petroleum resource up and down stream and climate change, meeting with oil and gas host community representatives, on Tuesday to investigate into the service and unprecedented environmental damage within oil producing communities.
During the investigative hearing, Mr Eniola Ayeniberun who spoke for Ondo state host communities amongst others shared their appaling experiences. It was alleged that over eighty percent of the people living in Ayetoro community have migrated due to the cause of oil production and exploitation which has gone beyond.
“There is a serious connection between offshore oil exploitation in particular and coastal erosion” This is said to be leading to natural disaster which should be called to the attention of the Federal Government.
It was further alleged that a Crude oil line well in Ororo oil field OML(95) owned by Guarantee Petroleum limited, Owena gas and Oil Limited along side Chevron has been abandoned since the year 2020, which is still burning till date.
The people of Ondo state is said to have a great interest in the on going investigative hearing because NDDC has failed after making several promises and they hope that the on going hearing would yield a positive result.
The Chairman of the Environment Committee, Hon. Pondi assures the representatives of oil and gas host communities that their plight are seen and will be dealt with accordingly,
“To many of us in this side of the divide , we can relate with these issues because we hail from these communities, your concerns will be heard and grievances acknowledge, and rights upheld”.
He further mentioned that the objective of the meeting is to pave the way for sustainable practices that prioritizes environmental preservation and community wellbeing.
He said that the consequences of negligence of environmental laws have reached alarming rate necessitating urgent intervention Mentioned that the aim of the investigation.
The National president host communities producing oil and gas, High Chief Dr Benjamin Tamaranibi in his presentation called on the committee to look into the UNEP presentation and problem statement in the ogoniland clean up: the quest for increased production without due consideration of the environmental degradation of host communities.
Chief Benjamin remarked that despite the 1billion dollars launched by United nation for the clean up of Ogoni land no reasonable impact has been made.
He also expressed displeasure at the deliberate exclusion and denial of host communities participatory rights, usurped development and violets global regulations.
He further crave the indulgence of the Committee and relevant state holders to ensure that the needs of host communities are meet and their well-being taken into due consideration.
