Key points
- A Federal Government delegation delivered humanitarian relief to Bille community in Rivers State following the ongoing gas seepage.
- The government pledged potable water, healthcare support, firefighting equipment and power interventions while investigations continue.
- The NUPRC said an international firm has been engaged to determine the source of the seepage, with fieldwork expected before the end of July.
- Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara directed the immediate upgrade of the community’s primary healthcare centre.
Main story
The Federal Government has delivered emergency humanitarian assistance to the Bille community in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State and pledged a comprehensive response to the ongoing gas seepage affecting the area.
The intervention was led by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Sen. Ekperikpe Ekpo, alongside the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), oil and gas operators and other stakeholders, according to a statement issued on Thursday by the commission’s Head of Media and Corporate Communications, Eniola Akinkuotu.
The delegation first visited Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara before proceeding to the Bille community, where relief materials were distributed to affected residents.
During the visit, Fubara commended the coordinated response by the Federal Government and industry stakeholders, assuring residents that their concerns would receive urgent attention.
“The federal government is doing everything possible to ensure that the gas seepage is brought under control. The requests for potable water, healthcare and firefighting support have been noted and will be addressed,” the governor said.
He also directed the immediate upgrade of the community’s primary healthcare facility to improve its capacity to respond to medical emergencies arising from the incident.
Addressing the community at the palace of the Amanyanabo of Bille Kingdom, King Ingo Herbert, Ekpo said investigations into the source of the gas seepage were still underway.
He pledged the provision of potable water, intensive medical outreach and medical consumables, additional firefighting equipment and support for electricity supply.
The minister also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to resolving the incident and restoring environmental safety.
“We are fully committed to resolving the issue to ensure the environment is safe and properly remediated,” Ekpo said.
The Commission Chief Executive of the NUPRC, Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, said the regulator had carried out preliminary investigations but was proceeding cautiously to avoid worsening the situation.
“We have carried out preliminary investigations. However, we are carefully managing the situation to prevent further hazards before any intervention.
“We have engaged an international firm to undertake the final studies, with fieldwork expected to commence before the end of July,” she said.
Eyesan added that technical experts from across the oil and gas industry were working with the commission to identify the source of the seepage through a comprehensive scientific investigation.
She also disclosed that preliminary assessments showed the community’s first aquifer had been contaminated, making the provision of safe drinking water an immediate priority.
“While we work towards a sustainable long-term solution, we will provide potable water as quickly as possible,” she said, adding that the commission would continue to provide updates on the investigation.
Chairman of the Bille Council of Chiefs, Alabo Dokubo, appealed for a swift resolution of the crisis and urged the government to deliver on its commitments so the community could fully benefit from its oil and gas resources.
The issues
The gas seepage has raised environmental and public health concerns in the Bille community, prompting a coordinated response from the Federal Government, regulators and industry operators. While humanitarian assistance has begun, authorities say technical investigations are still ongoing to determine the source of the seepage before permanent remediation measures can be implemented.
What’s being said
“The federal government is doing everything possible to ensure that the gas seepage is brought under control.” — Siminalayi Fubara, Governor of Rivers State
“We have engaged an international firm to undertake the final studies, with fieldwork expected to commence before the end of July.” — Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, NUPRC Commission Chief Executive
What’s next
The NUPRC expects the international investigation team to begin field studies before the end of July while emergency interventions, including potable water supply, medical services and firefighting support, are rolled out to affected residents.
Bottom line
The Federal Government has combined immediate humanitarian assistance with a technical investigation into the Bille gas seepage, promising further support while experts work to identify the source of the incident and determine long-term remediation measures.
