SEO Riders:
– Senate advances bill to build specialized oil and gas hospital in Benikrukru, Delta.
– Health facility aimed at serving industry workers and host communities in the Niger Delta.
– Funded by NCDMB, no federal budget impact; now awaiting committee review.
The Nigerian Senate, on July 8, 2025, passed by second reading a bill to establish the Federal Oil and Gas Hospital in Benikrukru, Delta State. Sponsored by Sen. Joel Thomas (APC–Delta South), the bill proposes a specialized healthcare facility tailored to the occupational and environmental health needs of oil and gas workers, as well as surrounding host communities affected by industry operations. The move aims to mitigate health risks tied to oil activities and ease emergency care access—while also cooling tensions in the Niger Delta through improved social infrastructure .
Crucially, the bill stipulates that the hospital will be financed by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB)—utilizing a share of existing industry levies—thereby avoiding additional strain on the federal budget. Sen. Barau Jibrin, Deputy President of the Senate, referred it to the Committee on Health, with an instruction to report back within four weeks. If ultimately passed, the hospital would offer emergency care, occupational health services, and treatment for oil-related ailments—benefitting major operators like Shell, Chevron, and ExxonMobil, alongside their host communities.
