The Senate has launched an urgent investigation into a recent fire and oil spill incident at Manifold Well 8/Bug 008 in OML 18, located in the Buguma area of Rivers State.
This follows a motion presented by Senator Harry Banigo, who represents Rivers West in the National Assembly.
In a resolution passed during plenary, the Senate called for prompt action to address the environmental and humanitarian consequences faced by affected communities.
The Senate has directed the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to conduct a thorough investigation and submit a report within four weeks.
Additionally, the Senate has instructed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC OML 18 Ltd.) to deploy emergency response teams to assess the situation, implement remediation efforts, and fulfill its corporate social responsibility obligations.
The Senate also mandated the committees on Environment and Petroleum Resources (Upstream) to review oil operators’ adherence to environmental regulations, particularly the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Act.
The committees are expected to recommend necessary actions, including the possible shutdown of the affected well, the initiation of cleanup operations, and the full restoration of the environment.
