Nine Months Of Gas, Five Months Of Oil: Reps Move Against Prolonged Pollution In Rivers & Delta

By ESTHER McWILLIS-IKHIDE

Lawmakers Step Into Two Environmental Crises

THE House of Representatives has demanded urgent action over two environmental incidents that have continued to affect oil-producing communities in Rivers and Delta states.

The first involves prolonged gas seepage in Bille, a riverine community in Rivers State. The second concerns an oil spill affecting Odidi Federated Community in Delta State.

Both incidents have now drawn the attention of the House Committee on South-South Development Commission, which says the prolonged nature of the environmental problems raises serious questions about regulatory response, accountability and the protection of communities living in Nigeria’s oil-producing region.

The committee chairman, Hon. Julius Gbabojor Pondi, raised the concerns during an urgent stakeholders’ engagement on the Bille gas seepage and a legislative hearing on the Odidi oil spill in Abuja.

Pondi said the two cases reflected a broader pattern in which communities that host Nigeria’s oil and gas infrastructure continue to bear environmental and economic costs.

A Crisis That Has Lasted Nine Months

The Bille gas seepage has persisted for about nine months, according to the House committee.

That duration has become one of the major concerns driving the legislative intervention.

Pondi said the incident had created potential health, safety and environmental risks while also inflicting economic hardship on the people of Bille.

The community depends largely on fishing and other activities connected to its surrounding waterways and natural environment.

Any disruption to those resources can therefore affect household income, food supply and the ability of families to meet basic needs.

Pondi said the prolonged crisis had also raised concerns about education and the general welfare of residents.

“It is unacceptable for an incident of this magnitude to persist for so long without a clear, time-bound and effective resolution strategy,” he said.

The committee said it wanted the engagement to move beyond technical discussions and institutional exchanges towards measurable action.

NOSDRA Detects Multiple Gases & Environmental Pollution

Technical findings presented by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, showed that the Bille incident involves gas bubbling at several locations.

A Director of the agency, Dr Yusuf Rigasa, described the phenomenon as “multi-point subsurface gas bubbling.”

Investigators detected the bubbling around the premises of Government Primary and Secondary School, in waterways and within parts of the mangrove environment.

NOSDRA conducted an air-quality assessment across 19 stations on December 6, 2025.

The agency recorded elevated levels of hydrogen sulphide, methane, volatile organic compounds and carbon dioxide.

Hydrogen sulphide can produce a distinctive rotten-egg smell. Methane also presents safety concerns because of its high flammability and explosive potential under certain conditions.

Rigasa said some of the recorded concentrations exceeded applicable regulatory thresholds.

Further laboratory analysis of groundwater, surface water and sediment samples also found elevated levels of total petroleum hydrocarbons.

The findings pointed to environmental pollution affecting parts of Bille.

The Source of the Gas Remains Unresolved

Despite the presence of petroleum-related pollutants and multiple gases, investigators have not conclusively linked the seepage to any particular oil or gas operator.

NOSDRA said its preliminary investigation suggested that the gas could be biogenic, meaning it may have resulted from the decomposition of organic matter.

The agency also examined the possibility of nearby oil and gas infrastructure contributing to the problem.

It worked with operators including Renaissance, Eroton and New Cross, as well as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, during the investigation.

However, NUPRC reportedly stated that it had no record of pipelines in the immediate area where the gas seepage was occurring.

That has complicated efforts to identify responsibility.

Rigasa said investigators had searched for oil and gas assets around the affected locations but could not establish a direct connection between a specific operator and the gas seepage.

The uncertainty over the source has not reduced community concerns.

For residents, the immediate issue remains the presence of bubbling gas, pollution and the disruption of their normal lives.

Community Raises Alarm Over Water & Livelihoods

The Bille Kingdom Chiefs Council told lawmakers that the seepage had affected water sources and disrupted fishing activities.

The community also said the situation forced the relocation of pupils from a primary school.

Chief Luckyman Egbila, Secretary-General of the council and Opu Gbolo III of Ancient Bille Kingdom, said the incident began on 6 November 2025.

Women harvesting periwinkles in the mangrove reportedly first encountered the problem.

The community subsequently alerted relevant regulatory agencies.

NOSDRA visited the area and conducted assessments.

Egbila said the initial assessment led to certain recommendations, including the excavation of some areas.

However, the community said it had not received complete details about the investigation or a clear long-term resolution plan.

The lawmakers’ intervention has therefore provided another opportunity for residents to press for safe water, environmental protection and practical relief.

Lawmakers Compare the Risk to a Historic Gas Disaster

NOSDRA’s technical presentation also drew attention to the 1986 Lake Nyos disaster in Cameroon.

The disaster involved the sudden release of carbon dioxide from Lake Nyos, killing about 1,700 people and large numbers of animals.

Officials did not suggest that the Bille incident was identical to Lake Nyos.

However, the comparison underlined the need to take unexplained and prolonged gas releases seriously.

The central concern for lawmakers is that a potentially dangerous environmental situation has continued for months without a definitive resolution.

The House committee wants regulators, technical experts and relevant operators to provide clearer answers on the nature of the seepage and the measures required to address it.

Odidi Oil Spill Also Faces Legislative Scrutiny

While the Bille crisis involves unexplained gas seepage, Odidi Federated Community in Delta State faces a separate environmental challenge.

The House committee has opened a legislative hearing into an oil spill that reportedly continued for more than five months.

Pondi said lawmakers would examine when the spill occurred, when authorities received the report and what caused it.

The hearing will also investigate containment efforts, the extent of environmental damage and the status of remediation.

Another major question concerns why the incident allegedly continued for months.

The affected community will have the opportunity to present its concerns before lawmakers.

The operating company, regulatory agencies and other relevant institutions are also expected to explain their responses.

“Our approach will be fair, objective and evidence-based,” Pondi said.

“We are not here to prejudge any party, but to establish the facts, promote accountability and facilitate solutions.”

The Wider Niger Delta Contradiction

The Bille and Odidi incidents have again highlighted a longstanding contradiction in Nigeria’s petroleum-producing region.

The Niger Delta remains central to the country’s oil and gas economy.

Yet many communities that host extraction activities continue to experience pollution, damaged ecosystems and disruptions to fishing and farming.

Pondi said the wealth generated from the region should not come at an unacceptable cost to the health, livelihoods and future of its people.

The House committee’s intervention places the focus on more than identifying the cause of the two incidents.

It also raises questions about the speed and effectiveness of regulatory action.

Environmental emergencies require more than investigations.

They require clear timelines, transparent findings, immediate protection for affected residents and credible remediation.

From Hearings to Action

The immediate test for the House committee will be whether the Abuja engagement produces practical outcomes.

For Bille, residents need clarity about the source of the gas, the risks it poses and the measures required to protect their community.

For Odidi, the legislative hearing must establish the facts surrounding the spill and determine whether containment and remediation efforts have met the necessary standards.

The committee has promised to pursue evidence-based oversight.

That commitment will be judged by what follows.

For communities whose fishing grounds, waterways and living environments have been affected, the priority is unlikely to be another round of meetings.

They want the pollution stopped, the risks properly assessed and damaged environments restored.

The message from the House of Representatives is that the time for prolonged uncertainty must give way to concrete action.