Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has assured residents of Bille Community in Degema Local Government Area that more decisive actions will be taken in the coming weeks to address the gas leak affecting the area.
Governor Fubara gave the assurance after a closed-door meeting at the Government House in Port Harcourt with the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpo Ekpo, operators of oil and gas facilities in the area, and leaders of the Bille community.
The governor said the state government had earlier visited the affected community alongside relevant stakeholders to assess the situation firsthand.
According to him, the latest meeting provided an opportunity for all parties to jointly examine the cause of the gas leak and agree on practical steps toward resolving the problem.
He described the meeting as successful and expressed optimism that the decisions reached would translate into concrete actions in the coming weeks.
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“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 best possible way to get this problem resolved. I can say that it was a very successful meeting because you can see that the Bille community, ably represented by their chiefs, are all smiling, which means the outcome of the meeting was a good one,” he said.
Also speaking, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpo Ekpo, said the Federal Government had not been silent on the matter, noting that the relevant regulatory agency had been investigating the cause of the gas leak.
The minister explained that the investigation was necessary because there are no Federal Government-owned oil and gas facilities within the immediate vicinity of the incident.
“When we heard the news, the regulator took charge immediately and deployed experts into the area to study the cause of the seepage. Realizing the fact that we don’t have gas or oil infrastructure within the vicinity of the incident, there was need to carry out the investigation. Investigation is still going on,” he said.
He added that although investigations are ongoing, it was important for him to visit the community to complement the earlier assessment by the Rivers State Government and engage directly with residents.
Ekpo stressed that the safety of residents remains the government’s top priority and acknowledged the danger the gas leak poses to lives and the environment.
He called on members of the community to continue cooperating with the authorities to ensure a lasting solution.
“We are here as a delegation from the Federal Government with the permission of Mr. President to find out what exactly is going on. This is a follow-up visit after the Governor’s visit to talk to the people of Bille community because we need collaboration on their own part so that we’ll be able to arrive at a lasting solution,” Ekpo said.
He assured the people that the Federal Government stands with the Bille community and is committed to addressing their concerns.
“The safety of the people is paramount. We understand the anxiety, the worry and the danger this has posed within the area, but the Federal Government is committed. We are with you on this issue. We plead with the people to be a little patient as we work towards finding a lasting solution so that there will be a sustainable environment for all,” he said.
He added that the Federal Government is willing to give due consideration to the requests presented by the community leaders during the meeting.
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