Chairman, House Committee on Environment, Pondi Julius Gbabojor (left); representative of the Speaker/Deputy Minority Whip, George Ozodinobi; Deputy Chairman, Terseer Ugbor; Chairman, House Committee on Climate Change, Chris Nkwonta, during an investigative hearing on the environmental damage in oil-producing communities, held at the National Assembly, Abuja¦ yesterday. PHOTO: LUCY LADIDI ATEKO

A joint committee of the House of Representatives has summoned the Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, to appear before it on May 8 over a probe on environmental degradation caused by the activities of oil companies in oil-producing communities.

Chairman of the House Committee on Environment, Pondi Julius Gbabojor, handed down the summons during an investigative hearing on the need to investigate the service and unprecedented environmental damage within the communities on Wednesday.

Also to appear before the joint committee are the chief executives of some oil companies and relevant government agencies.

The House Committees includes Environment, Petroleum Resources (Upstream), Petroleum Resources (Downstream) and Climate Change.

Gbabojor said the matter to be addressed was critical as he threatened to apply appropriate sanctions if those invited failed to turn up.

Besides the NNPCL, oil companies summoned include Chevron Nigeria Limited, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, Total Energies, Oando Oil Limited, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, Seplat Energy among others.

Also government agencies summoned include Nigeria Midstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, National Oil Spill Detection Response Agency, National Environmental Standards Regulations and Enforcement Agency.

When the probe commenced on Wednesday, only four out of 35 oil companies and agencies invited for the probe showed up.

The National Environmental Standards Regulations and Enforcement Agency sent an excuse through a representative, but the rest did not give any reason for their absence.

The committee members complained that even the four that turned up submitted the relevant documents just the previous day, not giving the lawmakers enough time to study it for the probe.

Gbabojor said: We will do another letter to everybody. They should turn up to answer questions on issues pertaining to degradation of the environment due to the activities of oil companies.

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