Following the frequent oil spill in his domain, the Amayanabo of Opu-Nembe in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, King Biobelemoye Josiah, has urged
Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company to carry out regular integrity tests on its equipment and facilities.
A massive oil spill was recently reported in the area from a production oil well known as OML 29, located along the Santa Barbara South field operated by NNPC/Aiteo Joint Venture.
Speaking when a team from the company visited him, the monarch said frequent check on its facilities will prevent the incessant oil spills in the area, which has badly affected the environment.
He also tasked Aiteo to take every necessary step to ensure they provide relief materials to the impacted communities to cushion the hardship caused by the spill.
The traditional ruler frowned at the attitude of the company to the payment of compensation, noting that there is a pending spill compensation that is yet to be paid even after all the processes were concluded.
King Josiah equally accused the company of not living up to their corporate social responsibility, saying till date Aiteo is yet to redeem it’s pledged to provide them with sustainable electricity through the provision of a mega power plant.
While assuring the company that they will continue to provide a conducive atmosphere for it’s operations, he pleaded with them to pay all outstanding debts owed local contractors doing business with them to avoid any crisis.
“We want to be a key stakeholder in the operation of the OML 29, so there should be proper Environmental Audit to know the current status of the environment. Aiteo should put in place proper spill prevention mechanism and also comply with the Local Content Act”, he said.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation and Global Group Director, Chief Andrew Oru, said he was impressed with the reception accorded his team, allaying initial fears that they might not be welcomed due to the recent oil spill incident.
He stated that his company has reached out to its international partners to tackle the oil spill while a probe has also been launched concerning the cause.