Yemisi Izuora
The people of Ibuluya-Ama, a community in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State, have observed that a gas leakage from a Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipeline in the area is causing environmental discomfort.
The Community Development Committee (CDC) chairman in the area, Mr Temaso Benjamin, who spoke to newsmen, said the leakage started on Sunday.
According to him, “the pipeline that criss-crossed the community from NNPC down to the NNPC Jetty has a heavy leakage because they are discharging from NNPC jetty to NNPC headquarters itself. It started around 2:30 am of which the whole community is just being enveloped with the smell of fuel odour”
He expressed worry that the lives of people in the area were now in danger as they have continued to inhale the dangerous substance.
Benjamin lamented that NNPC, the owners of the pipeline, never bordered to show up at the site of the leakage.
According to him, “the surprising thing is that, even NNPC that has the equipment can not come around with fire ambulance to control what is happening here”.
He, however, commended the security agencies for keeping order in the area.
On his part, the Chairman of Okrika Local Government Council, Mr. Philemon kingoli, raised concerns over incessant gas leakages in the area, saying the area has experienced gas leakage for the fourth time over a period of two years.
He said, “it is unfortunate that in less than two years, we are having the fourth leakage and this is not a pleasant situation”.
Kingoli expressed worry over the inability of the NNPC to change the pipes after more than fifty years since they were installed and called on the authorities to look into it.
“Where are the authority, the refinery, to please take the lives of our people very serious and do something about this? That for 50 years, pipes will stay without changes is something that can not happen in any part of the world”, he said.
He advised residents on the dangers of scooping petroleum products from broken pipes.