Fubara demands quick, full resolution of Rivers gas leakage

Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has called for a quick and thorough resolution to the gas leakage incident in Bille, Degema Local Government Area. He also pledged to upgrade the Primary Healthcare Centre in Bille to better manage the health issues affecting the community due to the leakage.

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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.

The governor made these commitments during an enlarged meeting at the Government House in Port Harcourt. The meeting included key stakeholders from the Federal Government, the state government, and community leaders. Its purpose was to assess the situation in Bille and identify ways to shield residents from the harmful effects of environmental pollution.

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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.

Governor Fubara acknowledged the Federal Government's and its agencies' commitment to uncovering the root cause of the Bille problem and ensuring its permanent resolution. He described the meeting as successful and indicated that further actions would be taken in the coming weeks to fully resolve the issue. The governor noted that the state had visited the community with industry operators and officials from the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources to understand the problem.

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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 most possible way to get the problem resolved.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, who led the federal delegation, thanked Governor Fubara for his hospitality and efforts. Ekpo clarified that the Federal Government has been actively working on a sustainable solution to the "gas seepage," contrary to some perceptions. He explained that experts were deployed to the area upon reporting the incident to study its cause. The investigation is ongoing, as initial assessments found no oil or gas infrastructure near the incident site, necessitating a more detailed inquiry.

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The investigation is still ongoing, but we decided to do a follow-up v