The Deputy Governor of Delta State, Deacon Kingsley Burutu Otuaro, has called on the National Assembly (NASS) to expedite action on the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill to alleviate the sufferings of oil-producing communities.
Otuaro made this appeal while receiving members of the National Assembly Joint Committee on the Petroleum Industrial Bill (PIB) at Warri in Warri southwest Local Government Area of the state.
Otuaro expressed sadness that the environment of the oil-bearing communities and their only means of livelihood in the Niger Delta have been adversely eroded as a result of oil exploration and exploitation activities over the years without corrective measures.
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This, he said, has “invariably affected the aquatic lives and farms of the host communities.”
“I am happy about the ongoing debate in the PIB bill so that the communities can have their fair share of the oil deal, that is just natural because everything about their aquatic culture and farming is completely gone.
“We saw crude oil littering the river while driving through the Escravos river, everywhere is just polluted, the means of livelihood of the people is completely gone and it is just natural and fair that something is done to alleviate the sufferings of the people,” he said.
Addressing pressmen after his visit to some oil-bearing communities in Delta State, at Okerenkoko Jetty, the Co-Chairman of the National Assembly Joint Committee on Petroleum Industry Bill, (PIB), Rt. Honourable Muhammad Mongono, said “the essence of the visit is to come and see the extent of degradation, occasioned by the exploration and exploitation of oil in the communities with a view to taking the necessary steps towards ameliorating the situation. “
