Declare state of emergency in Rivers community, groups urge FG

Civil society organizations and environmentalists are calling on the Nigerian Federal Government to declare an immediate state of emergency in Bille Kingdom, Rivers State. They cite a severe and worsening environmental crisis that threatens the lives and livelihoods of the community's residents.

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As we have all seen, moving around the community, gas is bubbling from beneath the earth and even on the water everywhere. The water wells that the people depend on for drinking are already polluted, and this has been going on for six months or more.

For several months, gas has been bubbling from the earth in the Degema Local Government Area, leading to widespread contamination of water sources. This pollution has directly affected the ability of residents to farm and fish, their primary sources of income. Activists describe the situation as an "outrage" and an "emergency" that the government has failed to adequately address despite numerous appeals.

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It is an outrage that the government of Nigeria has failed to respond despite repeated pleas by the people.

During a recent visit to affected sites, journalists witnessed gas seeping from the ground and water bodies. Executive Director of Social Action, Isaac Osuoka, highlighted that the water wells, crucial for drinking, have been polluted for over six months. Protesting residents displayed placards emphasizing the loss of mangroves, polluted waters, and the destruction of their livelihoods, with some warning that the "gas bubbles are not decorations, they are poison."

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Our mangroves are gone, our water polluted

Osuoka criticized the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission for their lack of concrete action, despite previous visits and promises to investigate. He warned of the potential for unmanageable fire outbreaks due to the gas seepage, especially given the community's riverine terrain, and noted the existing problem of air pollution. The groups insist that the Federal Government must declare an environmental emergency and take swift action to address the gas seepage and protect the lives of the Bille Kingdom residents.

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No farming, no fishing, no livelihood anymore in Bille