The invitation is over a probe into environmental degradation caused by the activities of oil companies in the oil-rich communities in the country.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr Mele Kyari, has been summoned by a joint committee of the House of Representatives to appear on May 8, 2024.
The invitation is over a probe into environmental degradation caused by the activities of oil companies in the oil-rich communities in the country.
The invitation was handed down by the Chairman of the House Committee on Environment, Hon Pondi Julius Gbabojor, at an investigative hearing on the need to investigate the service and unprecedented environmental damage within the communities on Wednesday.
Also to appear before the joint committee are the chief executives of some oil companies and relevant government agencies.
The House Committees include Environment, Petroleum Resources (Upstream), Petroleum Resources (Downstream) and Climate Change.
Gbabojor said the matter to be addressed was critical. He warned that appropriate sanctions would be meted out to those who failed to honour the invitation.
Besides the NNPCL, oil companies summoned include Chevron Nigeria Limited, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, Total Energies, Oando Oil Limited, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited Seplat Energy among others.
The government agencies summoned include the Nigerian Midstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the National Oil Spill Detection Response Agency and the National Environmental Standards Regulations and Enforcement Agency.
When the probe commenced on Wednesday, only four out of 35 oil companies and agencies invited for the probe showed up.
The National Environmental Standards Regulations and Enforcement Agency, however, through a representative, explained why its executives could not make it, but the rest did not give any reason for their absence.
The joint committee members however complained that even the four who turned up submitted the relevant documents just the previous day, not giving the lawmakers enough time to study them for the probe.
Gbabojor said, "We will write another letter to everybody. They should turn up to answer questions on issues pertaining to degradation of the environment due to the activities of oil companies.
"They have to be here on the 8th of May. If anybody fails to show up then we would now decide as a committee on what to do. I want to believe that there was enough time. Two letters were sent, there was ample time for them to see the letters and duly honour. But for putting on a human face, we would still give another time to do so.”
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, in his opening remarks earlier said it was important to protect the environment.
Represented by the Deputy Minority Whip, George Ozodinobi, he said, "I fully recognize the immense responsibility which befalls us as public servants to protect and safeguard our environment and meet the challenges posed by the ravages of environmental damages, and the need to balance economic prosperity and social responsibility to ultimately achieve equitable development.
"Also as representatives of the people, we must ensure that the voices of those most affected by environmental damage are heard and respected. We have to listen to the fears that are faced by frontline communities, indigenous people, and marginalized groups who usually bear the brunt of environmental injustice.
"It is therefore, for this reason, that the House mandated the Committees on Environment, Petroleum Resources (Upstream), Petroleum Resources (Downstream), and Climate Change, to investigate the environmental damage in oil-producing communities caused by non-compliance to extant laws by oil producing companies."