The Senate has called for an urgent investigation into the recent fire outbreak and oil spill at Manifold Well 8/BUG 008 in OML 18, located in the Buguma area of Rivers State.
This decision followed a motion raised by Senator Harry Banigo, representing Rivers West, during Thursday’s plenary.
In its resolution, the Senate emphasized swift action to mitigate the environmental and humanitarian impact on affected communities. It directed the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to conduct an immediate investigation and present a report within four weeks.
The Senate also instructed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC OML 18 Ltd.) to deploy emergency response teams to assess the situation, undertake remediation efforts, and fulfill its corporate social responsibility obligations.
Additionally, the Committees on Environment and Petroleum Resources (Upstream) were tasked with reviewing oil operators’ compliance with environmental regulations, including the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Act. The committees are expected to recommend actions such as shutting down the affected well, initiating cleanup operations, and ensuring full environmental restoration.