The Minister of State, Petroleum Resources (Gas), Hon Ekperikpe Ekpo has declared the readiness of the Federal Government to stop the gas leakage in Bille Kingdom in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The Minister announced this during a meeting at Government House in Port Harcourt, hosted by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The gathering included stakeholders such as representatives from the Federal and State governments, as well as community leaders, all aiming to find a long-term solution to the ongoing gas leak in Bille that has persisted for months.
The meeting was also held to review the situation in the community and explore available opportunities to save the people from the adverse impacts of environmental pollution.
Ekpo, who led the Federal Government’s delegation to the meeting, said that the Federal Government was aware of the leakage, and the request of the Bille people for the government to resolve the situation
Ekpo explained that contrary to the perception in certain quarters, the Federal Government has not been silent over the “gas seepage” but had been working tirelessly towards finding a sustainable solution.
He explained that as soon as the incident was reported, the Federal Government deployed experts to the area to understudy the cause of the problem.
He said that at first, it was difficult to understand the cause of the problem since there were no oil or gas infrastructure within the vicinity of the incident, hence the need to conduct a more detailed investigation.
The minister said: “The investigation is still ongoing but we decided to do a follow-up visit to the area to talk to the people of Bille Community, and we need collaboration on their part so that we would be able to arrive at a lasting solution.
“The safety of the people is paramount. We can understand their anxiety, the worry and the danger that this thing poses within the area, but the Federal Government is committed to finding a lasting solution to the problem.
“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 go and see things for ourselves,” he said.
In his contribution, Fubara demanded quick and full resolution to the challenges arising from the gas leakage that occurred in Bille, and pledged that the Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in Bille will be upgraded to enable it to address the community’s health challenges.
Fubara, who spoke to journalists after the meeting acknowledged the determination of the Federal Government and its agencies to get to the root cause of the problem in Bille and ensure that it is resolved permanently.
He said: “The meeting is in respect of the situation in Bille. You’re aware that there is a case of gas leakage somewhere in Bille and the people have been making some requests that the government should come to their rescue to resolve the situation.
“As a state, we have gone to see the situation in the community, not alone but in conjunction with the 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
Fubara described the outcome of the meeting as successful, stressing that more action would be taken in the next couple of weeks to ensure that the issue is fully resolved.
Also, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan also explained that as the regulatory agency at the centre of the issue, no effort will be spared in the task of resolving it.
Eyesan pledged that the NUPRC and operators in the industry were prepared to address the requests of the impacted people in terms of the provision of potable water and fire trucks to the community.
The Public Relations Officer, Council of Chiefs, Bille Kingdom, Chief Rena Dappa, had, during the meeting, presented the challenges facing the community and pleaded for government’s support to save the lives and livelihoods of the people.
