Residents Lament as Multiple Gas Leakages Hit Rivers Community

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt 

Residents of Tombia community in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State have lamented what they described as multiple gas leakages in the area from the facilities of oil and gas multinationals.

Some leaders in the community who spoke to journalists yesterday, said the gas leakages which started on Saturday January 20, 2024 had within these few days caused great harm to residents and the environment. 

They called on relevant bodies, especially Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) and government to fix the gas leakage of their pipelines in the community.

Secretary, Tombia Council of Chiefs, Alabo Onimite Abbey, revealed that the gas leakages have negatively impacted their environment most especially their local source of livelihood. 

He explained: “Last Saturday about 7:30p.m. I was called by the DSS boss in Degema LGA of Rivers State that there was a gas explosion in my community, I told him I wasn’t aware.  With the information, I had to quickly go home.

“When I got home, I was taken to the area, there was a gas leakage right in the river. This means it has spoiled most of our aquatic lives. Fishes are no longer alive, as well as periwinkle, tilapia fish and the rest of them. And as a result we cannot go fishing any longer.”

Abbey pleaded with the companies that own the leaking gas pipelines to swing into action and fix the problem.

On his part, the chairman, Community Development Committee (CDC), Tombia, Mr. Vincent Simeopiri, called for immediate intervention by NLNG as well as relevant agencies to intervene in order to halt further damage that will be caused by the gas leakage. 

“NLNG knows the impact of gas leakage into the open space, particularly at the place where it occurred.

“NLNG does not need further education of the impact of gas leakage into the environment, they all know. The last time I spoke with them, they said they are going to check in their control room to ascertain the root cause of the leakage. But since then we have not heard from.

“We are using this medium to tell the world what we are facing. Everybody knows that any little spark can cause huge fire that can exterminate the entire community as well as the environment.”

Also, youth president of the community, Owen Igbikialabo, said he had reported NLNG the gas leakage incident immediately it was spotted last week, as he called on the state government to intervene in order to save lives and property in Tombia.

“I personally called NLNG control room to report the situation, they are yet to take care of the gas leakage incident.

“We are calling on the Rivers State Government, Governor Siminalayi Fubara to intervene, this is a very serious issue, it can cause fire outbreak on the entire creek and burn off the habitats.”

As at the time of filing this report, the management of NLNG was yet to react to the development.

It would be recalled that last week, the Obagi community in Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni LGA in the state experienced an explosion from their farmlands following gas leakages from the facility of the Agip company.