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

The summons was issued by Pondi Julius Gbabojor, chairman of the House Committee on Environment, during an investigative hearing on Wednesday. The committee seeks to address the urgent need to probe the severe environmental damage within these communities.

Additionally, chief executives of several oil companies and relevant government agencies have been summoned to appear before the joint committees. Among the oil companies summoned are Chevron Nigeria Limited, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, Total Energies, Oando Oil Limited, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, and Seplat Energy.

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

Rep Gbabojor emphasized the critical nature of the matter and warned that appropriate sanctions would be invoked if the invited parties failed to attend.

During the investigative hearing, it was noted that only four out of 35 oil companies and agencies invited had shown up, underscoring the gravity of the situation.

In his opening remarks, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, emphasized the importance of environmental protection and the need to balance economic prosperity with social responsibility to achieve equitable development.

Furthermore, Abbas highlighted the significance of listening to the concerns of frontline communities, indigenous people, and marginalized groups who bear the brunt of environmental injustice.

The House mandated that the Committees on Environment, Petroleum Resources (Upstream), Petroleum Resources (Downstream), and Climate Change conduct the investigation. Their goal is to ensure oil-producing companies’ compliance with existing laws and address environmental damage in oil-producing communities.

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