Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Bukola Saraki made the pledge during the committee’s oversight visit to the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA)
Saraki expressed the determination of the Committee to help the agency to acquire the necessary legislative and operational capacity to effectively check oil spillage by multinational oil companies.
`` We have been responsible and we have treated the multinationals with a level of responsibility as partners in progress and we must get to the bottom of this menace of oil spillage.
``We will ensure zero tolerance to the issue of oil spillage. We will ensure that the laws are strengthened, especially in your penalties.
``This is the only country where companies will carry out spillage and you pick up the laws and guidelines and find nothing that holds anybody accountable,’’ Saraki declared.
A member of the Committee, Sen. Ben Ayade (Cross River-PDP) said the agency was not professional in the way it responded to the problem of oil spillage.
``What we have seen and heard so far is like you are making a mockery of this country. This is a big departure from your mission statement.
``You lack the capacity and equipment to discharge your mandate of detecting oil spillage. You also lack the professional standards in your approach to doing the job.
Earlier, the Director-General of NOSDRA Mr Peter Idabor had appealed for enactment of of an enabling Act by the National Assembly to facilitate appropriate sanctions on erring companies.
He also accused Agip Oil and Shell Petroleum Development Company as the companies responsible for the bulk of oil spill in the Niger Delta.
``Even though we have other oil spills, the main bulk of oil spill in Nigeria is caused by Agip and Shell. They are the largest culprits, ’’he added.
The Committee on Wednesday also paid an oversight visit to the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Agency (NESREA) where it promised to ensure the agency was given adequate funding.
Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Saraki said the agency would be given more legal backing to ensure it effectively monitored compliance to environmental standards for overall protection of the environment.
``We will help find ways of providing funds to the agency to ensure that you are not just an agency by name but an agency that has the ability to bite effectively when you need to,’’ he stated.
Also speaking, another member of the Committee, Sen. Helen Esuene urged the agency to remain focused on delivering on its mandate of regulating and enforcing standards.
``You need not lose your focus of regulation and enforcement of standards to ensure strict observance of the laws by operators in our environment,’’ she said.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Environment, Mrs Hadiza Mailafiya urged the Senate to review the proposal in the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) transfer of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to the Directorate of Petroleum Resources (DPR)
Mailafiya made the call during an oversight visit to the Ministry by the Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology.
She appealed to the Committee to help create awareness on environmental sustainability by mobilizing the people for advocacy.
Chairman of the committee acknowledged that proper attention had not been given to environmental issues adding that the trend must be reversed to address the ills in the sector.
Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Saraki said the agency would be given more legal backing to ensure it effectively monitored compliance to environmental standards for overall protection of the environment.
``We will help find ways of providing funds to the agency to ensure that you are not just an agency by name but an agency that has the ability to bite effectively when you need to,’’ he stated.
Also speaking, another member of the Committee, Sen. Helen Esuene urged the agency to remain focused on delivering on its mandate of regulating and enforcing standards.
``You need not lose your focus of regulation and enforcement of standards to ensure strict observance of the laws by operators in our environment,’’ she said.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Environment, Mrs Hadiza Mailafiya urged the Senate to review the proposal in the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) transfer of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to the Directorate of Petroleum Resources (DPR)
Mailafiya made the call during an oversight visit to the Ministry by the Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology.
She appealed to the Committee to help create awareness on environmental sustainability by mobilizing the people for advocacy.
Chairman of the committee acknowledged that proper attention had not been given to environmental issues adding that the trend must be reversed to address the ills in the sector.
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