The House of Representatives has said that the communities affected by oil spillage and explosion in Awoye, Ilaje Local Council of Ondo State, will be compensated.
It also promised to ensure environmental justice for the people of the area.
Chairman, House Committee on Host Communities, Rt. Hon. Dumnamene Robinson Dekor, gave the assurance in Awoye, Ondo State, on Friday, during an on-the-spot assessment of the affected areas and to have interactions with the people on the level of damage to their communities.
The state government delegation from the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Health also joined the team, led by the Commissioner for Health, Dr Banji Ajaka.
Dekor, who disclosed that three House committees were represented in the delegation constituted at the plenary, said the team had come from Abuja to get facts and interact with the people living in the area and how the company responsible for the disaster could be liable to remediate, clean up and compensate the victims.
The committee chairman noted that the National Assembly, through the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), has been able to proffer solutions to the menace.
He urged all the operating firms to take environmental issues more seriously.
The committee Chairman, who represents Khana/Gokana Federal Constituency, however, stated that they couldn’t decide on the matter until they submit their report to the National Assembly leadership, which will find a lasting solution to the menace.
In the meantime, the Olugbo of Ugbo, Oba Fredrick Obateru Akinruntan, while speaking on the communities’ ordeal, lamented that lands, waters and other sources of livelihood of the people had been utterly destroyed by oil exploration.
Oba Akinruntan said the people of the Niger Delta, who are the hens that lay the golden eggs for the nation, are suffering, stressing that it is high time the Federal Government prioritized the welfare of the people.
He lauded the committees and Ondo State Government for the proactive steps taken to redress the injustice done to the people and oil-producing communities at large.
