Gas leakage: NHRC pledges to address Rivers community’s concerns

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has committed to addressing the persistent gas leakage issue in Bile community, Rivers State, and working towards restoring the residents' livelihoods. The assurance came during the presentation of a documentary on the community's plight.

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On behalf of the Executive Chairman of the Commission, I want to thank them for the efforts to reinforce this issue, so that we can look into it and ensure that the livelihoods of the people in the community are restored.

Assistant Chief Investigation Officer Zainab Hamma, representing the NHRC's Executive Chairman, stated that the commission would examine the community's concerns and safeguard the lives and livelihoods of the residents. This commitment follows complaints from residents about continuous gas seepage, which has persisted despite numerous visits from relevant agencies and environmental assessments.

Residents, through the Bile Kingdom Youth Foundation, have highlighted that agencies, including the National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and the NHRC, have conducted soil and air-quality tests. However, these efforts have not yet resolved the leakage. NOSDRA has visited Bile approximately four times, and the NHRC has also made visits, yet the gas seepage continues.

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Ever since then, they have been coming and going. NOSDRA has come to Bile for like four times. NHRC has come to Bile sometimes and all and all, until today, we are still experiencing the gas seepage, leakage rather. And there’s no solution yet.

The community is appealing to the government to focus on halting the leakage rather than offering food or financial assistance. They argue that such aid is merely a temporary measure while the underlying problem remains unaddressed. Their primary demand is for the immediate cessation of the gas leakage, after which remediation and other measures to tackle the environmental and health consequences can be considered. The Executive Director of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa urged for urgent government action to protect the community.

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What we are asking the government for is a stop to this issue that is on ground. Not any kind of giving us money or giving us food. It’s just like we are being fed to wait to die.