The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Abbas Tajudeen. has inaugurated an Ad hoc committee to investigate the mismanagement of oil spill clean-up funds in the Niger Delta region.

Speaking at the ceremony on Friday in Abuja, Mr Tajudeen expressed confidence in the committee to deliver a fair, just and balanced report.

Represented by Rep. Bello Kumo (APC-Gombe), Mr Tajudeen emphasised that a thorough investigation was required to enable the house proffer solutions to issues of oil spillage in the Niger Delta region.

“We must understand the causes of the mismanagement, we must understand what was involved in the entire funds dedicated for the clean up, we have to find out the capacity of the managers that were put in place by government to manage the funds for the clean up.

“We have to understand if there was accountability in the whole process of the management of the clean-up funds; if we are able to understand these, then we can proffer solutions,” he said.

In his remarks, the chairman of the committee, Rep. Okpolupm Etteh (PDP-Akwa Ibom), said that the Niger Delta region had faced years of environmental degradation and untold damage due to oil exploration and frequent spills.

According to him, various government agencies have been created or assigned the responsibility of conducting environmental remediation and clean-up operations in response.

“Unfortunately, troubling reports of alleged mismanagement, inefficiency and poor coordination have overshadowed these initiatives.

“Similarly, this house has also received reports that funds allocated for clean-up efforts have not produced the anticipated outcomes, leaving communities still affected, livelihoods in jeopardy and public trust diminished.

“Our committee has been assigned the critical task of uncovering the truth, evaluating the effectiveness of interventions and proposing reforms for sustainable solutions.

“Our objectives are clear. We will investigate the utilsation of funds designated for environmental remediation, review the actual execution of clean-up projects, identify deficiencies in the institutional framework and engage with all relevant stakeholders, including host communities, experts and civil society.

“Most importantly, we will recommend specific actions to enhance performance and rebuild public trust,” he said.

The chairman said that though the committee is not on a quest for witch-hunt, it will not hesitate to ask tough questions to unravel the truth for posterity and to uphold the integrity of our mission.

He pledged to operate transparently, to seek broad consultations and conduct field visits to witness the situation firsthand.

The lawmaker said that agencies will be held accountable, community perspectives will be valued and conclusions will be based on factual evidence rather than emotions.

He sought the cooperation of all stakeholders, government agencies, communities, civil society and the media to help the committee effectively achieve its mandate.

(NAN)