Respect Our Laws On Environment, Senate Tells Oil Firms

The Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources ( Upstream ) has warned the international oil companies operating in the Niger Delta region of the country to adhere strictly to the nation’s environmental laws while during operations.
The Chairman of the Senate panel, Senator Bassey Albert, gave the warning when he led other members on a courtesy visit to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, in Uyo at the weekend.
Albert, according to a statement by the Committee on Sunday, said Nigeria would no longer condone a situation where IOCs continue to disregard the country’s laws especially as they affected the environment.
He said, “The International Oil Companies cannot continue to flout our laws. They need to ensure that whatever they do is in line with the law.”
The Senate Committee was in Uyo as part of its oversight functions for a first-hand assessment of work by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company Limited and its partner, Sterling Global.
The NPDC has the mandate of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to take over OML 13 in Eastern Obolo, in Akwa Ibom State.
Albert supported the NPDC arrangement and added that the OML 13 has some of the best deposits of oil and gas in the country.