Members of Tombia Community in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State have called on relevant bodies, the state government, especially the Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas Company, NLNG and Agip Oil Company, to urgently fix the gas leakage emitting from their gas pipeline in that community.
Concerned opinions leaders from the community while briefing newsmen in Port Harcourt, said the gas leakage which occurred on Saturday January 20, had within the few days of the leakage, caused great harm to residents and the environment.
Chief Alabo Onimite Abbey, secretary, Tombia Council of Chiefs, said the gas leakage has negatively impacted their environment most especially, their source of livelihood.
“Last Saturday, at about 7:30pm, I was called by the DSS boss in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, that there was a gas explosion in my community. I told him I wasn’t aware. With the information I have to quickly respond to the information and I went home.
“When I got home, I was taken to the area, it was a gas leakage, right in the river! This means it has spoilt 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.
“So, we are pleading with the companies that own the leaking gas pipeline facility to swing into action and fix the problem”.
On his part, Vincent Simeopiri Abbey, the CDC chairman of Tombia Community, called for immediate intervention by NLNG as well as relevant agencies, 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 them I spoke with them they said they’re 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 why we are facing. Everybody knows that any little spark can cause huge fire that can exterminate the entire community as well as the environment.”
Similarly, Comrade Owen Igbikialabo the youth president of the community said he personally reported the gas leakage to NLNG immediately it was spotted
HE also called on the state government to intervene to save livese’s and properties in Tombia.
Said he: “I personally called NLNG control room to report the situation. They’re yet to take care of the gas leakage incident.
“We are calling on 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”.
Our correspondent reports that as at the filing of this report,all effort to hear from the concerned multinationals failed.
