You won’t be abandoned over gas seepage, SSDC delivers relief materials to community Bille kingdom 

South-South Development Commission, SSDC, has promised Bille Kingdom in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State facing gas leakage that the commission would not overlook them. This was as the commission delivered humanitarian relief materials to residents of Bille Kingdom following the persistent gas seepage and methane emissions that have contaminated underground water, rivers and the air in the area.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the SSDC, Ms. Usoro Akpabio, who initiated the move said the intervention was aimed at cushioning the hardship faced by residents, whose livelihoods and daily activities had been affected by the environmental crisis in the area.

The delegation that delivered the material was on behalf of the Managing Director was led by Commission’s Executive Director, Social Services and Human Capital Development, Engr. Preye Aganaba and received by the Council of Chiefs of His Royal Majesty, King Igbikingeri Ngowari Cornelius Herbert, Agbaniye-Jike XVIII.

Other members of the delegation are Mrs. Oghenerukevwe Obiuwevbi, Programme Lead; Mr. Nemfort Amos, Head of Legal Department; Mr. Imeh Imeh Udoabah, Head of Planning, Research and Statistics; Dr. Martins I. Imhanlahimi,Technical Assistant to the ED, SSHCD; Dr. Chidi Ogundu, Head of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for Bayelsa and Rivers States, and CSP Chijioke Anthony, Divisional Police Officer, Degema Division.

Speaking, Akpabio promised that the commission would not abandon the affected community, assuring the residents that their recovery remained a priority. Akpabio 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.

She 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.”

Akpabio noted that the situation highlighted the importance of the commission’s mandate to address the developmental and humanitarian challenges confronting communities across the South-South region. She said 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.

Responding, Chairman of Bille Council of Chiefs, Chief Bennett Okpoke, who spoke for the council, commended SSDC for giving attention 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 prayed the Federal and Rivers 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.

However, the Head of NEMA for Bayelsa and Rivers States, Dr. Chidi Ogundu, said the agency had contacted the SSDC over the environmental emergency and expressed appreciation for the Commission’s swift response. Ogundu revealed 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.