Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has assured residents of Bille in Degema Local Government Area that the Rivers State Government will work with the Federal Government and industry regulators to permanently resolve the lingering gas leakage threatening lives and livelihoods in the riverine community.
The governor also announced plans to upgrade the Bille Primary Healthcare Centre to strengthen its capacity to respond to health concerns linked to the environmental incident.
Fubara gave the assurance on Wednesday during a high-level stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House in Port Harcourt.
The meeting brought together representatives of the Federal Government, state officials, regulatory agencies, industry operators and leaders of the Bille community to review the situation and chart a lasting solution.
Speaking after the meeting, the governor said the state had already carried out an on-the-spot assessment alongside officials of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and industry operators, stressing that the enlarged meeting was aimed at identifying the source of the gas seepage and agreeing on practical measures to end the crisis.
He described the discussions as productive, expressing confidence that concrete actions would be implemented in the coming weeks to permanently address the problem.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, commended Governor Fubara for his proactive response and dismissed claims that the Federal Government had ignored the incident.
According to the minister, experts were deployed immediately after the gas seepage was reported, but investigations became more complex because there were no known oil or gas facilities near the affected location.
He said technical investigations are still underway and appealed to residents to cooperate with government agencies to achieve a lasting solution.
Ekpo reaffirmed that the safety and welfare of the people remain the government’s top priority, assuring the community that every necessary step would be taken to eliminate the danger.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, said the commission and industry operators were committed to supporting affected residents.
She disclosed that plans were underway to provide potable water and fire-fighting trucks as part of immediate intervention measures.
Earlier, the Public Relations Officer of the Council of Chiefs, Bille Kingdom, Chief Rena Dappa, highlighted the environmental and health challenges confronting the community and appealed for urgent government intervention to protect residents and restore normalcy.
