Tension over Gas Leakage in Delta Community

Sylvester Idowu in Warri

Palpable tension has enveloped Odidi community in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State over the discovery of a gas leakage from a facility belonging to Agip Oil Company in the area.

The leakage, it was learnt, was discovered about three months ago and the attentions of Agip Oil Company and National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) were drawn but nothing has been done to tackle the spill.

The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), in a statement issued over the weekend, said that there is urgent need for the federal and Delta State governments as well as Agip Oil Company to immediately clamp the gas leakage from the Bemobebe-aka gas well located in Odimodi community.

ERA/FoEN, in the statement signed by the communication officer, Mr. Elvirah Jordan, said it received a Save Our Souls (SOS) from the community on July 5 this year, lamenting over the gas leakage from Bemobebe-aka Gas facility belonging to Agip, which has been non-operational for some time.

“The Bemobebe-aka gas well is located at the outskirts of Odimodi community, a route that is usually used by fishermen to carry out their fishing activities, and farmers to access their farm lands.

The environment around the gas leakage, the group said, is very toxic and highly polluted lamenting that the people of Odimodi are currently at risk of facing severe health implications from inhaling the gas that has circulated around the air space, coupled with the dangers of a fire outbreak.

“A fisherman, Mr. Brakemi Ndoro, who first spotted and reported the leakage to the leadership of the community, said that the leakage was discovered about three months ago and suspected to be as a result of a broken valve from the gas plant.

“The chairman of Odimodi Community, Solomon Gbegha revealed to ERA/FoEN that the leakage was reported to the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), followed by a joint inspection of the leakage by the community representatives and NOSDRA on June 26, 2023.

“According to the chairman, no other efforts have been made to shut down the leakage after the inspection adding that the people of Odimodi are now living in fear, as the people have been instructed to stay clear of the gas leakage area until it has been turned off,” the group said. 

The Executive Director of ERA/FoEN, Mr. Chima Williams, said in the statement that “the people of Odimodi are currently in distress. After surviving series of spills recorded in 2018 and 2022, they are suffering from yet another damage to their environment in form of a gas leakage caused by Agip.

“Despite housing multinational companies, Odimodi has been neglected by these companies, hence the slow response to oil spills and gas leakages. The government needs to implement stringent policies that will regulate and manage the activities of oil multinationals in Odimodi and other host communities,” he said.

ERA/FoEN, therefore, called on Agip Oil Company to stop the leakage and also urged the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to conduct an assessment of the level of air pollution in the area for immediate clean up. 

It further recommended that a medical team be deployed to Odimodi, to examine the health status of the people, after being exposed to such air and environmental pollution.