Emma Arubi
WARRI – THE lead federal government agency in charge of oil spill management in the Nigerian Petroleum Sector, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, has dragged the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company Limited, PPMC, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, to the Federal High Court, Asaba, Delta state, for refusal to carry out clean-up exercise and declining to pay a One million naira (N1,000,000.00) sanction slammed on her for defaulting.

The PPMC is in the business of installation, maintenance of NNPC pipelines as well as the marketing of its petroleum products in Nigeria.

An oil vessel, J.S. Amazing belonging to the defendant in the matter, PPMC, had in June 2009 capsized along the PPMC jetty at Ijala and discharged its content (LPFO) into the Warri river that polluted several coastal communities that includes Ugbodede and affected their economic life line negatively.

The NOSDRA in a swift response embarked on a Joint Investigation Visit, JIV, with other relevant stakeholders including representatives of PPMC on several occasions in June, July, August and September respectively to the impacted site and also assessed the effect of the spill on the environment after which it directed PPMC to take immediate steps to effect clean-up and remediation including paying adequate compensation to affected communities and persons.

In a 16 paragraph statement deposed to by NOSDRA before the court, they stated that the defendant paid deaf ears to numerous instruction to effect compliance with the agency order of clean-up, failing which NOSDRA had to slam a N1m sanction on PPMC which was also not remitted till date.

The matter which came up for trial yesterday at the Federal High Court, Asaba before Justice Ibrhim Buba was however adjourned to March 15 for further hearing.