The Senate has directed the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to conduct an immediate investigation into the cause of a recent fire outbreak and and oil spill from Manifold Well 8/ Bug 008 in OML 18, Buguma area of Rivers State.
The agency is to submit a report within four weeks.
This followed a motion raised by Senator Harry Banigo representing Rivers West in the National Assembly on Thursday.
In a resolution passed during plenary, the Senate mandated swift action to address the environmental and humanitarian impacts on affected communities.
The Senate ordered the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to conduct an immediate investigation and submit a report within four weeks.
It also directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC OML 18 Ltd.) to send emergency response teams to assess the situation, carry out remediation measures, and fulfill its corporate social responsibility obligations.
Meanwhile, the committees on Environment and Petroleum Resources (Upstream) were tasked with evaluating oil operators’ compliance with environmental regulations, including the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Act.
