The Rivers State House of Assembly has invited Shell Petroleum Development Company ( SPDC) over oil spills recorded in Oyigbo and Ogoni land.
The invitation followed perceived delay by the oil company to comply with the report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on cases of oil spill in the two areas.
The House at its sitting in Port Harcourt on Wednesday adopted a motion tabled by the member representing Oyigbo Constituency, Mr. Nwaogu Akara on the issue.
Speaker Otelemaba Amachree directed the House Committee on Energy and Natural resources to visit the scene, investigate and report to the House within two weeks.
The House also directed its Clerk, to invite the state Commissioner for Environment to appear before it, to explain the circumstances behind the action of Shell and other oil companies in the state.
Okara, had earlier in the motion noted that since the occurrence of the spill in Oyigbo, SPDC had not done anything to contain it.
The situation, he observed, had affected the sources of livelihood of the people and posed serious danger to the communities.
“The sources of drinking water in the area have been polluted, farm lands and aquatic lives have been devastated, the rivers and the entire land of Isioma Community are in great danger.”
In his contribution, the member representing Eleme Constituency, Mr. Josiah Olu reminded the assembly that, as a result of delay to tackle the spill in Ogoni land, the people in the area had been badly affected by the situation.
“Based on the delay by Shell and government to act on the UNEP report, my people are still suffering as a result of pollution of drinking water, aquatic lives and general environmental degradation.’’