By Emeka Amaefula
BILLE GAS LEAK: GOV. FUBARA, FG MOVE TO END ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS AS GAS MINISTER VISITS RIVERS.
A Federal Government delegation led by Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), has arrived in Rivers State to assess the impact of the gas leak reported in Bille community, Degema Local Government Area.
The visit came less than 48 hours after Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, pledged swift intervention and lasting solutions to the environmental challenges affecting residents of the riverine community.
Ekpo led the delegation to an enlarged stakeholders’ meeting at Government House, Port Harcourt, on Wednesday, where representatives of the Federal Government, Rivers State Government, industry operators, and community leaders deliberated on the way forward.
The meeting focused on reviewing the situation in Bille and identifying measures to protect residents from the effects of environmental pollution.
The Minister commended Governor Fubara for his efforts toward addressing the challenge, assuring that the Federal Government had remained committed to resolving the issue.
Ekpo explained that contrary to concerns in some quarters, the Federal Government had not been silent over the reported gas seepage but had been working toward finding a permanent solution.
He said technical experts were deployed to the area immediately after the incident was reported to investigate the cause of the problem.
According to him, the investigation was initially challenging because there were no visible oil or gas facilities within the immediate vicinity of the incident, necessitating further technical assessment.
“Investigation is still ongoing, but we decided to embark on a follow-up visit to engage with the people of Bille community, seek their cooperation, and work together toward finding a lasting solution,” Ekpo said.
He stressed that the safety and welfare of the people remained the priority of government, noting that authorities understood the concerns and anxiety of residents.
“The primary responsibility of government is to take care of the welfare and security of the people, and that is exactly why we are here to see things for ourselves,” he added.
Governor Fubara, while speaking with journalists after the meeting, demanded a quick and comprehensive resolution of the gas leakage situation.
He assured that the state government would continue to collaborate with relevant federal agencies and industry stakeholders to address the problem permanently.
The governor also pledged that the Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in Bille community would be upgraded to tackle health concerns arising from the incident.
Fubara said the enlarged stakeholders’ meeting was aimed at bringing all relevant parties together to identify the cause of the problem and determine the most effective solution.
“As a state, we have gone to see the situation in the community together with industry operators and officials of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources. What we are doing today is an enlarged meeting where all the parties are sitting together to look at the cause of the issue and the most possible way to get the problem resolved,” he said.
The governor described the outcome of the meeting as successful, assuring that further actions would be taken in the coming weeks to ensure the issue is fully resolved.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, assured that the commission would deploy all necessary measures to resolve the matter.
Eyesan said the NUPRC and industry operators were ready to respond to the demands of the affected community, including the provision of potable water and fire-fighting equipment.
Also speaking, Rena Dappa, Public Relations Officer of the Council of Chiefs, Bille Kingdom, highlighted the challenges confronting the community and appealed for government support to protect the lives and livelihoods of residents.
— Emeka Amaefula
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