Lagos Assembly urges state to avoid pitfalls of oil-producing region

The Lagos State House of Assembly has said Lagos must avoid the pitfalls where oil-producing communities are neglected in spite of the daily exploration of crude oil in their backyard. As a result of this, the House therefore called for stakeholders meeting over the discovery of oil in the Badagry area of the state to discuss the socio-economic importance of the exploration of oil in the state and related issues.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Mineral Resources, Hon. Folajimi Mohammed, in a Motion moved during plenary yesterday, said that stakeholders should come together to discuss the socio-economic importance of the exploration of oil in the state and related issues.

The Motion, which enjoyed the support of the House members was adopted. Mohammed noted that the oil producing communities must not go the way of Niger Delta and other oil producing states in Nigeria, who suffers environmental degradation from the activities of oil companies.

Some of the stakeholders identified by the assembly include exploration companies, state officials and the host communities.On his part, the Speaker of the House, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, maintained that there is the need for proactive measures on the part of the state government especially drawing inspiration from what is going on in the Niger-Delta.

“We must safeguard the host communities and we must commend the companies that have been investing in oil exploration in the state over the years before oil was eventually discovered there.

“All necessary infrastructures must be put in place to protect the state and the host communities so that we would prevent what is happening in Niger Delta from happening in Lagos State,” he said.

The lawmaker representing Badagry Constituency 2, Hon. David Setonji, disclosed that the news of the discovery of oil in its constituency was received with mixed feelings because of the likely negative consequences that might come from exploring oil in his domain.