By Femi Ogunshola
The House of Representatives Joint Committee on Environment, Petroleum Resources Upstream, Petroleum Resources Downstream and Climate Change has queried oil producing companies operating in the Niger Delta over environmental degradation in the region.
Rep. Pondi Gbabojor, the Chairman of the joint Committee, said this in Abuja on Wednesday at the public hearing on Environmental Damage within the oil-producing communities.
He said that the oil-producing communities had experienced environmental degradation and socio-economic marginalisation following decades of oil exploration and exploitation.
“The abundant natural resources should have been a source of prosperity and development; rather, the host communities have suffered pollution and land degradation.
“They also suffer from loss of biodiversity, and deterioration of traditional livelihoods that are inestimable and irreparable,” he said.
He said that in spite of laws and regulations enacted to safeguard…
Source: News Agency of Nigeria
