JUBA – A Member of Parliament representing Unity State in the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA), Malek Cook-Dwach, has issued a 30-day ultimatum to the Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC).
Citing growing concerns over public safety and environmental risks, Cook-Dwach demands that GPOC fence and clearly mark all oil waste ponds, pits, and other hazardous sites in Unity State.
In a statement addressed to the GPOC Vice President on Wednesday, Cook-Dwach also called for the establishment of a permanent community safety and early warning program.
This program should include warning signs in local languages, community awareness campaigns, and a functional mechanism for reporting incidents and grievances, he said.
“I hereby demand that GPOC, in coordination with the Unity State government, within 30 days, fence and clearly mark every oil waste pond, pit, and hazardous site within the Unity oil field and any other GPOC-operated concession in Unity State,” Cook-Dwach stated.
He added that GPOC should “submit a verified completion report to the Unity State government and the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) committee on petroleum.”
He further urged GPOC to “establish, in consultation with affected communities, a permanent community safety and early warning program, including signage in local languages, community sensitization, and a functioning grievance and incident reporting mechanism.”
Cook-Dwach emphasized that the Greater Pioneer Operating Company’s concession in Unity State carries a clear obligation to prevent harm to the community and the land from which it extracts resources.
He noted that the people of Unity State have hosted the oil industry for decades, enduring environmental degradation, displacement, and health risks, often with minimal durable local benefit.
Cook-Dwach also urged GPOC to conduct a joint independent investigation into the incident, involving the Unity State government, the Ministry of Petroleum, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, and representatives of the affected community.
This ultimatum follows an incident on Tuesday, where a woman fell into an unprotected, hazardous pond within the Unity oil field. Subsequently, the Governor of Unity State, Joseph Nguen Monytuil, ordered GPOC field management to enhance safety and environmental protection measures.
