The Rivers State House of Assembly Committee on Energy and Natural Resources has succeeded in brokering peace in a 17- year Oil Spill dispute in Rumuekpe, Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State.
This was made open last week during a parley with newsmen by the House committee Chairman Hon Evans Bapakaye Bipi.
Bipi acknowledge that the 17- year old oil spill dispute between the Rumuekpe community and Total E&P Nigeria Limited has been on until they decided to intervene to end the conflict.
The Rivers State House of Assembly Committee on Energy and Natural Resources has succeeded in brokering peace in a 17- year Oil Spill dispute in Rumuekpe, Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State.
This was made open last week during a parley with newsmen by the House committee Chairman Hon Evans Bapakaye Bipi.
Bipi acknowledge that the 17- year old oil spill dispute between the Rumuekpe community and Total E&P Nigeria Limited has been on until they decided to intervene to end the conflict.
The Chairman of the House Committee said that as a strategy to resolve the dispute, the committee convened a meeting between the various families concerned and the House Committee members who were handling the matter.
Speaking during the meeting, a representative of the Rumuowokor family, Chief Anthony Odigiri alleged that Total E&P refused to compensate his family since 1994, even when other families in the area were compensated. He regretted that the company also declined to carry out remediation on the spill, noting that the oil company has always abandoned his own family.
Chief Odigiri also said that the oil spill repeatedly occurred from 2005 till date and expressed concern that the company; Total has not done anything to address the problem.
He recalled that his family had earlier written a petition against the Oil Company to the House Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, as a result of the activities of the company, which he said, led to oil spill on their farmlands and destruction of their means of livelihood.
Adding his voice, the counsel to the Petitioner, Barr Abiye Dagogo – George said Chief Odigiri’s family had demanded for adequate compensation from Total since 1994 for damages as well as remediation of their farmlands.
On his part, the Total E&P representative Chile Izem, told the House committee, that Chief Odigiri is one of their landlords.
He noted that the crisis which rocked Rumuekpe community had made it difficult to transact business with anybody until peace is returned. He also said that it is important for the family to speak with one voice.
Mr. Izem also noted that his company decided to stop the remediation and payment of any claim as a result of the litigation in court, promising that the company would meet the demands of the petitioner, provided he withdraws his case from court.
In his speech, the House Committee Chairman on Energy and Natural Resources, Hon Evans Bipi appealed to petitioner to withdraw the case from court to enable Total E&P Nigeria Limited meet their demands.
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