Rivers Assembly Investigates Renaissance Energy’s Alleged Neglect of Oil Spills in Rivers Community 

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt 

Rivers State House of Assembly has ordered an investigation into the allegations that an oil firm, Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, neglected oil spills that devastated the B-Dere community in Gokana Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.

This followed a petition written against the firm by the community through their Estate Surveyors and Valuers, Hamilton Odom & Co.

The petition was signed by Hamilton Odom and presented on the floor of the House by the Deputy Speaker.

The Speaker, Hon. Martin Amaewhule, referred the petition to the House Committee on Public Complaints and Petitions, Chaired by Dr. Enemi Alabo George.

The community, in the petition, recalled that on May 7, 2025, an oil spill occurred along the 24 Ogale-Bomu Pipeline, which crisscrosses their area.

The petitioners explained that a report by joint team officials from the Rivers State Ministry of Environment and the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), including representatives from the impacted community, established that the cause of the leak was equipment failure.

They said: “The spill had a devastating impact on the vegetation health, leading to stress, defoliation and death. The toxic hydrocarbons in the oil also penetrated plant tissues, disrupting physiological functions and impairing water and nutrient intake. This resulted in stunted growth, plant mortality and hindered regeneration, particularly affecting young plants and seedlings.

“The spill also contaminated underground water and disrupted economic activities such as farming, leading to loss of income and livelihoods, and causing psychological trauma and stress that can have long-term effects on mental health and well-being of the people”.

The community said that, despite the adverse effects of the incident, the oil company had neither attempted to clean up the affected areas nor paid any compensation to the affected people.

“More worrisome is the indifference and silence of the company over all matters relating to the spill after the initial meeting between the representatives of the company and the community to agree on a fair or adequate compensation sum ended in a deadlock”, the petitioners said.

The community appealed to the House of Assembly to address the matter with utmost urgency, insisting that Renaissance should bear sole responsibility for the spill since it resulted from an equipment failure.

They requested that the lawmakers hold Renaissance Africa Energy Limited accountable for the environmental damage caused by the spill.

The community demanded immediate appraisal and payment of compensation for their economic losses, damage to their livelihoods and the environmental degradation caused by the company’s negligence. 

They also asked the lawmakers to engage the company to ensure a comprehensive cleanup, remediation, and restoration of the affected land, underground water, and the environment.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Public Complaints and Petitions, Alabo George, who received the petition, said his committee would give it speedy consideration.