House Seeks Establishment Of Agency To Cleanup Oil Installations

The House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum (Upstream) and Special Committee on Crude oil theft are seeking to establish a special agency to oversee the decommissioning and cleanup of oil installations across the country.

The proposed agency would regulate and monitor the process, addressing growing concerns from oil-producing communities about the environmental and economic impact of abandoned oil facilities.

Chairman of the Committees, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, who stated this at a meeting with members of the committee, said the move became necessary due to the increasing concerns from host communities.

According to him, the Committee is working on five bills related to crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism, which aimed at tackling the menace, demonstrating the legislature’s unity and seriousness in addressing the issue.

He noted that the committee has been granted an uninterrupted mandate to operate for the entire tenure of the current assembly, allowing it to work without reporting deadlines.

Doguwa noted that the committee’s work aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s concerns over persistent attacks on oil-producing facilities and insecurity in oil-producing communities.

“The committee plans to hold a joint meeting to address overlapping jurisdictions and tackle the challenges facing the oil industry, he said.

Oduyemi Odumade,Edited By Grace Namiji