The Rivers State House of Assembly has ordered a probe into neglected oil spills allegedly caused by Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, which they said had devastated the B-Dere community in Gokana Local Government Area of the state.
The House raised concerns over the development at the weekend following a petition written against the company by the community through their Estate Surveyors and Valuers, Hamilton Odom & Co. The petition was signed by ESV Hamilton Odom and presented on the floor of the House by the Deputy Speaker.
The Speaker Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule referred the petition to the House Committee on Public Complaints and Petitions, which is chaired by Hon. Dr. Enemi Alabo George.” The community in the petitioners recalled that on May 7th, 2025, an oil spill occurred along the 24 OgaleBomu Pipeline criss-crossing their area.
The petitioners explained that a report of the joint team officials from the Rivers State Ministry of Environment, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), including representatives from the impacted community, established the cause of the leak as equipment failure.
The community said that despite the adverse effects of the incident, the oil company had neither made an attempt to clean up the affected areas nor paid any form of compensation to the affected people. The Petition reads: “The spill had a devastating impact on the vegetation health, leading to stress, defoliation, and death.
The toxic hydrocarbons in the oil also penetrated plant tissues, disrupting physiological functions and impairing water and nutrient intake. This resulted in stunted growth, plant mortality, and hindered regeneration, particularly affecting young plants and seedlings.
“The spill also contaminated underground water and disrupted economic activities such as farming, leading to loss of income and livelihoods, and causing psychological trauma. We can have long-term effects on the mental health and well-being of people. “More worrisome is the indifference and silence of the company over all matters relating to spill after the initial meeting between the representatives of the company and the community to agree on a fair or adequate compensation sum ended in a deadlock.”
The community appealed to the House of Assembly to address the matter with utmost urgency, insisting that Renaissance should bear sole responsibility for the spill since it resulted from an equipment failure.
They requested the lawmakers to hold Renaissance Africa Energy Limited accountable and responsible for the environmental damage caused by the spill.
