The Bayelsa State Commission of Inquiry on Environmental Degradation has been hard at work taking a tour of the communities to see firsthand the impact of the activities of the International Oil Companies on the environment just a day after inauguration by Governor Seriake Dickson. Thursday saw the members visit Azuzuama, Ikarama and Egbegiri, all of which are heavily affected by oil spill.
Led by its Chairman, Archbishop John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, the committee was welcome in each of the communities by aggrieved citizens, some of whom brandished placards demanding justice from the guilty oil firms.
The committee members also held town hall meetings to enable them get a full idea of the plight of the impacted communities.
Other members of the 10-member commission include former President of Ghana, Dr. John Kufour; Baroness Valerie Amos; Prof. Engobo Emeseh; Dr. Anna Zalik; Prof. Roland Hodler; and Prof. Michael Watts.
Dr. Kathryn Nwajiaku-Dahou is secretary to the commission while former Bayelsa Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Kemasuode Wodu, serves as Legal Counsel.
Dickson has said, while inaugurating the commission, that the primary aim of setting it up was to prevail on oil companies to adopt best practices in the conduct of their operations in Bayelsa as they would in Norway, Scotland or the United States.
The commission, which is to hold public and private hearings, is expected to submit its report and findings within nine months.