For some days now the people of Bi-dere Community in Gokhana Local Government Area of Rivers state, South South Nigeria have neither slept nor cooked in their houses.
There’s been panic and confusion all over the community.
Why you might be wondering?
This is due to the massive eruption of crude oil in the Trans-Niger Delta Pipeline at the heart of Bi-dere Community and according to the people, they are trying to prevent fire explosions in the community as the atmosphere is heavily saturated with gas.
As our correspondent in Port Harcourt, Eghonghon Akabhue now reports, the people are calling on relevant authorities, the Operators of the Trans-Niger Delta Pipeline to come to their rescue, and contain the spillage.
The Crude Oil eruption in the Trans-Niger Delta Pipeline in the heart of Bidere Community in Gokhana Local Government Area of RiversState, South South Nigeria has been flowing for a couple of days now, causing panic and anxiety amongst the people.
Many of the people say they are already battling with respiratory difficulties due to the oil spill.
The impact of the crude oil spillage is visible and evident on economic crops, trees and building within the affected areas as they are now coated with crude and almost lifeless.
The Chairman of Bidere Council of Traditional Rulers and other Leaders say a joint investigation visit to the site of the eruption by the Operators, Regulators and Community revealed that the spill was caused by an equipment failure hence the need for immediate remediation of the environment.
The people of Bi-dere Community say if there is anything they want now and very urgently too, is for the Operator of the Facility to come to their rescue as hunger and starvation looms because they can no longer cook to avoid fire outbreak as the atmosphere is heavily charged with gas.
The people of Bi-dere expressed reservations about the incessant oil spills in the region and their devastation and contamination of the environment despite the ongoing Ogoni clean-up exercise, which the United Nations Environmental programme, UNEP, report says will take up to 35 years for proper remediation to take place.
(Editor: Nkoli Omhoudu)
