•To quiz AGIP, other IOCs today
The House of Representatives yesterday handed a 72 hour ultimatum to the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) to submit documents on waste management/disposal component of the final Investment decision in the NLNG Train-7 Gas Project.
The ultimatum was issued by the House Ad-hoc Committee on the Investigation of the Non-Inclusion of Waste Management/Disposal of Sludge in the NLNG Train-7 Gas Project and Other Infringement by Oil Companies/Multinationals.
Committee Chairman, Hon Agom Jarigbe Agom, at an investigative hearing with NLNG officials said the company had failed to submit its financial investment documents.
He told reporters at the end of the hearing that the mandate of the committee was to investigate the environmental challenges and non inclusion of the waste management disposal in the NLNG gas project.
“We are investigating the non inclusion of waste mgt on the NLNG train 7 gas project. We had earlier on asked them for the financial investment documents. Our concerns are environmental hazards and non inclusion of waste management disposal in the NLNG gas project.
“That’s why we invited them and we ‘ve given them an ultimatum of 72 hours to provide the final investment documents; the component of it that has to do with waste management in the train 7 gas project. The meeting was quite interactive and very revealing. I think we are making progress,” he said.
According to the lawmaker, though the local content component was not really their concern but as a parliament, they would ensure it would be implemented.
He also said the committee would continue its hearing today with some invited international oil companies, IOCs who would make explanations to the committee.
“Local content component is not really our mandate but as a parliament, we will make ensure that Local Content Act is complied with. On IOCs, basically the issue of sludge disposal is mainly with the IOCs. They generate a lot of sludge from their operations and tomorrow (today) we are talking some IOCs including AGIP and a few others.
“We have grey areas to look at; we will take all of them. Some of them are reasonably compliant to international best practices and some are not. We’ve looked at their submissions and will take them up,” he said.
The General Manager Government Relations Mrs Fatai Williams, who led workers to the hearing said the company will make available the documents.
“It was a very interactive session.. They requested some document and we will provide them”, she said.
