A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), the Concerned Citizens of Abua/Odual (CCAO) has cried out to the state and federal government over the refusal of the Niger Delta Petroleum Limited (NDPRL) to implement the resolution made by the National Agency.
The Coordinator of the CCAO, Barr. Kelvin Mopho, speaking with National Network said “NDPRL has been spilling oil due to their activities, and there is an ongoing oil spill in Otari Community in Abua-Odual Local Government Area and this oil spill has gone as far as entering other communities in the local government and for the past three years now this oil spill has been ongoing along the Sombreiro River and this made us to write to the company informing them of the oil spill but they refused to acknowledge our letters”.
Barr. Mopho stated that the community had written to the Ministry of Environment, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and also to the House of Representatives through the help of Hon. Mrs. Betty Apiafi, which the House of Representatives referred the petition to the Committee on Public Petitions and Complaints to look into the petition, upon which the committee had called for public hearing.
He further explained that after several public hearings in which the NDPRL was absent, the committee on public petition and complaints wrote to NOSDRA mandating them to carry out Environmental Impact Assessment of the operational area of NDPRL in Abua-Odual Local Government Area. Speaking further Mr. Mopho explained that after the investigation was carried out the report was submitted to NOSDRA wher they discovered some chemical dumps in some of the areas in the communities, and also after going through the report NOSDRA recommended that the environment should be cleaned up but alleged that NDPRL refused to clean up the environment till date.
Barr. Mopho added that recommendations were submitted to the National Assembly and resolutions were made on the 30th of May 2019 which was communicated to all the parties involved and the NDPRL allegedly refused to go on with the clean up and its corporate social responsibility which the community is entitled to.
He also stated that NOSDRA invited them for a public hearing which the NDPRL refused to come and the agency was left with no other option to write back to the National Assembly that NDPRL refused to come, and till date the people of Abua-Odual are still suffering from the oil spillage. He accused the company for being hell bent on bringing in a new Rig to drill the remaining 27 oil wells located in the host communities which is not acceptable to the host communities, since they have been disobeying the National Assembly resolution to clean-up the environment and their action is presently causing agitation among the youths and people of Abua-Odual.
Barr. Mopho went further to say “we cry out to the state and federal government, His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari and the Executive Governor of Rivers State, Barrister Nyesom Ezenwo Wike to talk to the NDPRL to implement the resolution made by the National Assembly, and for them to give all entitlements and rights to the host communities affected by the oil spillage.
