House of Representatives committee demands urgent action on Delta oil spill and Rivers State gas seepage
The House of Representatives Committee on South-South Development Commission has called for immediate intervention to address a prolonged gas seepage in Rivers State's Bille community and an oil spill affecting Delta State's Odidi Federated Community for over five months. Committee Chairman Julius Pondi emphasized these incidents highlight environmental challenges in the Niger Delta. The committee's concern for Bille intensified after engaging with the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission and the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency on July 30, 2026, noting the gas seepage has continued for nine months without a clear solution, causing severe economic hardship and potential health risks. Dr. Yusuf Rigasa, a NOSDRA director, confirmed the presence of hazardous gases like hydrogen sulphide, methane, volatile organic compounds, and carbon dioxide in Bille, with concentrations exceeding regulatory thresholds. Investigations revealed multi-point subsurface gas bubbling, leading to the abandonment of a local school. Elevated levels of total petroleum hydrocarbons were also detected in Bille's groundwater, surface water, and sediment. While NOSDRA has not linked the gases to a specific hydrocarbon source or operator, suggesting a biogenic origin from organic matter degradation, the agency compared the situation to the 1986 Lake Nyos gas disaster in Cameroon, urging serious attention.
