The Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has called for the immediate and permanent resolution of the gas leakage affecting Bille, while announcing plans to upgrade the community’s Primary Healthcare Centre to strengthen healthcare services for residents impacted by the environmental incident.
Governor Fubara made the commitment on Wednesday during an enlarged stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House in Port Harcourt, which brought together representatives of the Federal Government, Rivers State Government, regulatory agencies, industry operators and leaders of the Bille community to assess the situation and develop lasting solutions to the environmental challenge.
The governor said the meeting formed part of coordinated efforts to address the concerns of residents following reports of persistent gas leakage in the riverine community, assuring that both the state and federal governments were working together to resolve the crisis.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, Fubara said the Rivers State Government had already visited the affected community alongside officials of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and industry operators to assess the situation firsthand.
He explained that the enlarged meeting was convened to enable all stakeholders to jointly determine the source of the leakage and agree on practical measures to eliminate the problem permanently.
According to him, the discussions were productive and would be followed by concrete actions over the coming weeks to ensure a comprehensive resolution of the environmental hazard.
The governor also acknowledged the commitment demonstrated by the Federal Government and its agencies in investigating the incident and pledged continued collaboration until the matter is fully resolved.
Beyond addressing the environmental challenge, Fubara announced that the Primary Healthcare Centre in Bille would be upgraded to improve healthcare delivery and provide better medical support for residents facing health concerns arising from the gas leakage.
Leading the Federal Government delegation, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, dismissed suggestions that the Federal Government had ignored the situation, insisting that authorities had been actively investigating the incident since it was reported.
Ekpo commended Governor Fubara for his hospitality and proactive engagement with the affected community, noting that collaboration between both levels of government remained crucial to finding a sustainable solution.
He explained that experts were immediately deployed to investigate the reported gas seepage but noted that determining its exact source had proved challenging because there were no known oil or gas installations within the immediate vicinity of the incident.
According to the minister, investigations remain ongoing, with additional technical studies being undertaken to establish the cause of the seepage and recommend appropriate remedial measures.
He appealed to residents of the Bille community to cooperate fully with investigators, stressing that community support would be essential to achieving a lasting solution.
Ekpo acknowledged the fears and anxiety among residents, saying the Federal Government understood the potential dangers posed by the gas leakage and remained committed to protecting lives and property.
He reiterated that safeguarding the welfare and security of citizens remained the government’s primary responsibility and assured residents that no effort would be spared in resolving the crisis.
Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, assured residents that the commission would work closely with industry operators to address both the immediate and long-term challenges facing the community.
She said the regulatory agency was committed to ensuring that all necessary interventions were implemented, including the provision of potable water and fire trucks to strengthen emergency response capacity within the affected area.
Eyesan emphasised that the commission would continue collaborating with all relevant stakeholders until the environmental concerns were adequately addressed.
Earlier, the Public Relations Officer of the Council of Chiefs, Bille Kingdom, Chief Rena Dappa, presented the community’s concerns during the meeting, highlighting the impact of the gas leakage on residents’ health, livelihoods and overall wellbeing.
He appealed to both the Federal and Rivers State governments to provide urgent assistance and implement lasting measures to safeguard the lives of the people and restore normalcy to the community.
