By Christiana Ekpa
The House of Representatives has demanded immediate and concrete action to end the prolonged gas seepage in Bille Community, Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, warning that the environmental crisis can no longer be allowed to linger.
Chairman of the House Committee on South-South Development Commission, Hon. Julius Gbabojor Pondi, issued the demand on Thursday during a stakeholders’ engagement on the Bille gas seepage and a legislative hearing on the oil spill in Odidi Federated Community, Delta State.
The call followed disturbing findings presented by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), which confirmed the presence of multiple gases and petroleum-related pollutants in parts of Bille.
According to NOSDRA Director, Dr Yusuf Rigasa, investigations detected hydrogen sulphide, methane, volatile organic compounds and carbon dioxide at several locations in the community, including the premises of Government Primary and Secondary Schools.
The agency also recorded elevated concentrations of the gases during an air-quality assessment conducted across 19 stations on December 6, 2025, with some readings exceeding applicable regulatory thresholds.
Rigasa said methane is highly flammable and potentially explosive, while hydrogen sulphide is toxic and commonly associated with a rotten-egg odour.
He disclosed that laboratory analysis of samples collected from Bille also showed elevated levels of total petroleum hydrocarbons in groundwater, surface water and sediment.
The findings, he said, established that portions of the community’s soil, surface water and groundwater had been polluted.
The NOSDRA official, however, said the agency had not established that the gas was from a hydrocarbon source. Preliminary technical findings suggested that the seepage was probably biogenic, arising from the degradation of organic matter.
He said no oil and gas operator had so far been identified as the source of the gas seepage.
According to him, NOSDRA had engaged operators including Renaissance, Eroton and New Cross, as well as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, while the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) had found no record of pipelines in the immediate area where the bubbling was occurring.
He added that a reservoir survey by NUPRC was ongoing to determine whether the seepage could be linked to an underground hydrocarbon reservoir.
But the agency’s inability to identify the source has not eased the suffering of residents, who say the crisis has continued for about nine months.
Pondi described the prolonged situation as unacceptable, stressing that the people of Bille had been left exposed to serious environmental, health and economic consequences.
“It is unacceptable for an incident of this magnitude to persist for so long without a clear, time-bound and effective resolution strategy,” Pondi said.
The lawmaker said Bille’s predominantly fishing population had suffered severe disruption to livelihoods, food security and household incomes.
He demanded comprehensive explanations from the operating companies, NUPRC, NOSDRA and other relevant agencies on the cause, extent and current status of the seepage.
Pondi said the House would not be satisfied with another round of meetings without implementation.
“We expect clear resolutions, firm commitments, defined responsibilities and measurable timelines.”
The gravity of the situation was further highlighted by the Bille Kingdom Chiefs Council.
Secretary-General of the Council, Chief Luckyman Egbila, said the seepage began on November 6, 2025, after women harvesting periwinkles discovered bubbling in the mangrove.
He said the community immediately alerted the relevant authorities but had yet to receive a permanent solution or full reports of the investigations conducted.
According to Egbila, the crisis has now spread across several mangrove areas, making fishing increasingly difficult and threatening the community’s access to safe drinking water.
“Our people cannot go to fishing. Most of the mangroves are bubbling. Particularly, we don’t have water to drink.”
He alleged that some dugout wells were contaminated and that residents had experienced deteriorating air quality, while some children had developed skin rashes and other health complaints.
Egbila said the community had also been forced to relocate pupils from a primary school because of concerns over exposure to the emissions.
He disclosed that the Rivers State Government had provided N100 million in palliative support, which was partly used for food and a medical outreach, but maintained that the intervention was inadequate to resolve the crisis.
The community leader appealed for immediate provision of potable water, medical support and a permanent solution to the seepage.
He also called for the upgrading of Bille’s primary health centre and deployment of resident doctors, noting that transporting sick residents to Port Harcourt by boat was difficult, costly and sometimes life-threatening.
“Most times when people fall sick, by the time you rush them, get the boats and get to Port Harcourt, we keep losing these souls and lives.”
Meanwhile, Pondi said the House would also investigate the oil spill affecting Odidi Federated Community in Delta State, which has reportedly persisted for more thanfive months.
The legislative hearing will examine the cause of the spill, when it was reported, containment measures taken, the extent of environmental damage, the status of remediation and why the incident remains unresolved.
Pondi said the Committee would approach both cases objectively and evidence-based, stressing that its objective was to establish facts, ensure accountability and secure practical solutions.
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