Rivers Assembly threatens Heirs Energy leadership with arrest warrant

…Directs Renaissance to compensate polluted community

The Rivers State House of Assembly has again summoned the management of Heirs Energies to appear before it next week or be arrested following the company’s repeated failure to honour invitations by its Committee on Public Complaints and Petitions.

A community in the State had sent a petition to the State House over the alleged unfair termination of contract staff, who are community members working for the company, and had demanded their immediate reinstatement.

The House frowned on the Heirs team’s failure to honour the Committee invitations, adding that it would be forced to issue a warrant, compelling their attendance in accordance with Section 129 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) if they failed to appear next week Monday.

The invitation followed a petition brought before the House by Omuohia Community, Igwuruta in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Martin Amaewhule, Speaker of the Assembly, at the 4th Legislative Sitting of the Fourth Session on Monday, said the House would not condone such disregard, adding that Section 129 empowers the House to procure evidence — written or oral, direct or circumstantial — that may be material or relevant to the subject matter from any person invited for that purpose.

The Assembly had, at its 3rd Legislative Sitting last week, frowned on the non-appearance of Heirs Energies Limited before the House committee over the petition by Omuohia Community.

The House further adopted the recommendations of its Committee on Public Complaints and Petitions on the oil spillage on the 24″ Ogala–Bonny pipeline, reportedly caused by the activities of Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited.

The report, presented to the House at its sitting last week, described the payment of compensation to persons and the impacted community as fair and reasonable, given the degree of environmental damage arising from the oil spill occasioned by equipment failure.

The Committee also reported that Renaissance paid N120 million as compensation and carried out a medical outreach worth more than N100 million in line with the recommendation of an independent consultant.

The House urged the company to ensure a comprehensive clean-up and remediation of the impacted area in the interest of public health.

Martins Wachukwu, Media Aide to the Speaker, said in a release, that the Committee further reported the company is currently remediating impacted areas affected by the oil spill.