Government on the prevention and control of oil spillages, gas flaring and environmental pollution of the Niger-Delta area. 30. The Federal Ministry of works also issues contracts for the construction of roads, bridges and other essentials of life in the Niger Delta. 81. The Federal Government established the Ministry of Niger Delta saddled with the responsibility of catering for the basic needs of the people of the Niger Delta and has put in place necessary legal tools for the protection of the Niger Delta Region as well as avenues for compensation to any inevitable victim of oil spill or pollution through various legislations which include the Oil Pipeline Act 1956,Petroleum 1968, Petroleum 1969 , Federal 1992, Oil and Regulation Act 1969, Petroleum Environmental Gas Pipeline Act 1967,Oil in Navigable (drilling and Protection Regulations, Act production) 1988, 1995, Waters Impact Environmental Regulation Regulations Assessment Act Standards and Regulation Enforcement Agency (Establishment ) Act 2006, The Environmental Guidelines and Standards for the Petroleum Detection and Response Agency industry 2002, (Establishment) Act National 2006, Oil Spill Harmful Waste Special Criminal Provision Act 1990 among others. 82. That it is the responsibility of a holder of a licence to take all reasonable steps to avoid damage and to pay compensation to victims of oil pollution or spill and any delays in payment of compensation are on account of challenges in courts as to who are rightly entitled to compensation. 383. They conclude that the levelled against them Plaintiff has not established as they are not in breach any of the allegations of any of their international obligations. 34. The Defendants also deny all the allegations by the Plaintiff on Defendants’ lack of concerted frameworks effort to check the effect of pollution put in place for the enforcement and of rights recounted by persons the legal injured, regulation of the activities of oil prospectors and of sanctioning defaulters all in an effort to ensure a safe environment. 21|Page

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