Senate orders Shell to halt oil spill

Worried by theoil spillage thatoccurred on Tuesday at the Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) which led to the closure of the 200,000 barrels per day capacity Bonga deepwater facility, the Senate, on Thursday, directed the company to put an end to it.It equally directed the oil firm to ensure that the spillage did not get to the shoreline urging it to quickly present a detailed blueprint on how it intends to deal with the attendant damage.The Senate committee chairman on Environment and Ecology, Senator Bukola Saraki, told newsmen that members of the committee would soon undertake an on-the-spot assessment of the affected areas to know the extent of damage and the effect on those living within the area and the impact it had had on their livelihood.The spill, which has released over 30,000 barrels of oil off the Nigerian coast, is the worst since the 1997 spillage from a Mobil Producing facility.Saraki, who briefed newsmen along with Senators Barnabas Gemade, Boluwaji Kunlere and Ben Ayade, however, expressed relief that no life was lost in the incident.According to him, 'we will make sure that we do everything in our power to ensure that international practices that guide oil companies in this type of situation are adhered to here in Nigeria, despite the clear handicap of the supervising agency.
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