By Emma Arubi
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, before a Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, Delta State, for its refusal to carry out clean up exercise and declining to pay N1million  sanction slammed on it for defaulting.

NOSDRA is contending in the suit that an oil vessel, J.S. Amazing, belonging to  PPMC,  capsized had in June 2009, along the PPMC jetty at Ijala and discharged its content (LPFO) into the Warri River, which  polluted several coastal communities, which includes Ugbodede and affected them negatively.

NOSDRA said it embarked on a Joint Investigation Visit, JIV, with other relevant stakeholders,  including representatives of PPMC, several times 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, which it never did.