News Rendezvous

Abuja, Nigeriaa

The House of Representatives has directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to pay ₦32.15 billion in compensation to 5,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Ilorin, Kwara State, over alleged unlawful demolition, displacement, and land acquisition.

The directive followed the adoption of the report of the House Committee on Public Petitions, chaired by Hon. Kwamoti Bitrus La’ori, which reaffirmed and adopted the earlier recommendation of the 8th Assembly on the matter.Briefing journalists at the National Assembly on Thursday, La’ori said the compensation is to be effected within 60 days to the affected residents of Judges’ Quarters, F Division, Tanke Tipper Garage, Pipeline, Babaode, and Oshin areas of Ilorin, whose lands and homes were allegedly demolished during NNPCL operations.

The Committee’s findings stemmed from a petition filed by Ajets Surveys on behalf of the affected residents against NNPCL.In a related development, the House also ordered Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (now Seplat Energy) to pay ₦72.624 billion in compensation to oil spill victims in Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State for environmental damages caused between 2003 and 2012.

According to La’ori, the decision was based on independent valuation assessments by Messrs Soni Udoma and Partners, Ebito and Company, and Uduak Jeremiah Consult, which confirmed multiple oil spills linked to Mobil’s operations. He explained that the compensation should be paid in installments as mutually agreed by the affected communities and the company.In another resolution, the House upheld the Committee’s recommendation in a petition by Award Winning Consult Limited on behalf of Mr. Asedere Othuke Edwin against British Oil and Gas Exploration Production Company for unlawful termination of employment.

The company was ordered to pay ₦100 million as compensation and damages.Similarly, the House adopted the Committee’s report on a petition by Tepng/Aks Main Community (MUO) on behalf of traditional rulers, youths, and women from Ikot Abasi, Ibeno, and Mbo Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State against TotalEnergies Nigeria Limited and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

The petitioners accused the companies of excluding them from the Host Community Development Trust (HCDT) mandated by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021. The House consequently directed TotalEnergies and NUPRC to immediately include the affected communities in the Trust and to pay accrued benefits covering 2022 to 2025, representing the period of exclusion.In a separate case, the House also directed the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Services Board (CDFIPB) to pay all outstanding salaries and entitlements owed to Mr. Dogo Isaac Imooje, who was wrongfully dismissed from service between February 2013 and September 2018.

Speaking on the series of resolutions, Hon. La’ori reaffirmed the Committee’s commitment to fairness, transparency, and justice in handling all petitions brought before it.

“The Committee will continue to uphold fairness, transparency, and accountability in addressing the concerns of Nigerians. Every citizen deserves justice, and this House remains committed to ensuring that justice is not delayed or denied,” he stated.

La’ori commended the leadership of the 10th House of Representatives under Speaker Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, GCON, for what he described as a people-oriented and reform-driven legislature.“

The 10th House has shown through its actions that it stands with the people, defending their rights, protecting their interests, and ensuring that justice prevails,” La’ori added.The resolutions underscore the House’s resolve to uphold social justice and ensure that powerful institutions are held accountable for actions affecting citizens and host communities across Nigeria.