The South-South Development Commission (SSDC) has delivered humanitarian relief materials to communities in Bille Kingdom, Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, following a persistent gas leak and methane emissions.
There are fears that the gas leaks and methane emissions have caused environmental damage by contaminating underground water sources, rivers and local wells.
Usoro Akpabio, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the SSDC, initiated the intervention, which was aimed at ameliorating the hardship faced by the locals, whose livelihoods and daily activities had been disrupted by the environmental crisis
Preye Aganaba, Executive Director, Social Services and Human Capital Development at SSDC, at the weekend, led the delegation to the affected communities on behalf of the managing director.
Akpabio pledged support for the residents, saying the SSDC would not abandon the affected communities and that their recovery remained a priority.
She described Bille as an important economic hub in Rivers State and the South-South region, warning that the environmental crisis had consequences beyond damage to property.
According to her, the persistent gas seepage has disrupted businesses, threatened food security, displaced families and deprived residents of their sources of livelihood.
She said that the situation underscored the importance of the SSDC’s mandate to address the developmental and humanitarian challenges confronting communities across the South-South region.
Akpabio disclosed that the commission provided 86 categories of food and non-food relief materials, including rice, beans, garri, noodles, vegetable oil, palm oil, mattresses, mats, wrappers, mosquito nets, buckets, sanitary pads and baby diapers.
She said that the intervention was in fulfilment of President Bola Tinubu’s directive to the commission to provide succour to vulnerable communities and accelerate development across the six South-South states.
Akpabio said: ‘The plight of the people of Bille is of great concern to the commission. Their recovery remains a priority, and we want to assure them that they will not be overlooked in our developmental agenda.’
She added that the SSDC’s intervention was designed to complement the efforts of Siminalayi Fubara, Governor of Rivers State, the Rivers State Emergency Management Agency and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
She pledged to sustain the commission’s commitment to environmental protection, disaster resilience, sustainable infrastructure and livelihood improvement across the region.
Bennett Okpoke, Chairman, Bille Council of Chiefs, who spoke on behalf of the Bille Council of Chiefs, thanked the SSDC for responding to the community’s plight, but called for urgent government intervention to address the root cause of the crisis.
Okpoke said residents had endured persistent gas and methane seepage for a considerable period, with devastating consequences for their water sources, livelihoods and daily activities.
He appealed to the Federal and State Governments, as well as relevant environmental and regulatory agencies, to urgently provide a lasting solution to the pollution threatening the health and economic survival of the people.
Okpoke described the SSDC’s visit as a demonstration of solidarity and genuine concern for the community at a difficult time.
Also speaking, Chidi Ogundu, Head of NEMA for Bayelsa and Rivers States, said that the agency had contacted the SSDC over the environmental emergency and expressed appreciation for the commission’s swift response.
Ogundu disclosed that an Environmental Impact Assessment had been conducted to establish the extent of the damage and its implications for residents, adding that the findings indicated significant adverse effects on the community.
He described the crisis, as a collective responsibility, stressing that the affected residents needed urgent and coordinated assistance.
Ogundu said: ‘An injury to one is an injury to all,’ while commending the SSDC for providing relief materials to cushion the effects of the emergency.
He further disclosed that NEMA’s technical team had commenced efforts to address the community’s potable water challenges, particularly the contamination of water sources caused by the gas seepage.
Ogundu said the intervention was necessary to prevent further exposure of residents to potential health hazards.