Despite the severity and urgency of the Buguma 008 Wellhead Fire blowout and oil spill at Bukuma in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State required, the Senate on Thursday shelved taking a motion of “Urgent Public Importance” seeking an intervention of the National Assembly and the Federal Government till its next adjourned sitting.
The senator representing Rivers West, Dr. Ipalibo Banigo, had sought the permission of the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, to move the motion on Thursday. But the Senate President said the Senate could only take the motion at its next sitting date.
He first asked Senator Banigo if there were fatalities in the wellhead fire and spill, to which the senator answered in the affirmative. He then put it to vote for the motion to be taken on the next sitting date of the Senate.
No date was given for the next sitting if the Senate. Meanwhile victims of the disaster have continued to count their losses while the operator of the wellhead and intervention agencies of government have not been able to cap the wellhead and stop the fire and spill.
The wellhead fire and oil spill have severely impacted the environment and communities in Rivers West Senatorial Zone.
The blowout occurred in December 2024 and eventually erupted in a fire that burnt over a thousand hectares of farmlands and vegetation. The spill from the well has also polluted the rivers and creeks in the area, killing aquatic life and disrupting marine economic activities.
