Sangama Community in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State has raised alarm over gas leak from a facility recently divested by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company Limited (NPDC).
Youth Leader of the Community, Iyalla John-Jumbo told Kristina Reports in an interview on Thursday, September 8, 2022 in Bonny, Rivers State that the gas leak, which occurred on Saturday, September 3, 2022, was yet to receive any attention from the facility owners.
John-Jumbo said when he learnt of the incident, he called Shell but as at the time of this interview, no intervention has been made.
According reports, when SPDC was contacted an official of the company who responded, saying he was not authorized to speak on the issue, informed that the said facility has been divested to the NPDC, advising that the enquiry should be redirected to the NPDC.
A staff of the NPDC, who preferred to be anonymous, told Kristina Reports that an intervention team had been mobilized to the site to assess the situation and make necessary interventions.
The Sangama Youth Leader regretted that the community has been deserted due to fears that a repeat of the 2020 gas leak debacle in Bonny which resulted in loss of taste and loss of smell be occur in the area.
He disclosed that three persons were hospitalized while several others suffered varied symptoms of inexplicable ailments the last time such incident happened, thus when it occurred this time around several persons left the community in haste.
He called on President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Nyesom Wike, Chairman of Bonny LGA, Dame Anengi Wilcox, Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari and other stakeholders to compel the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) to quickly shut down the facility in order to mitigate any further impact on the area.
He equally called on the relevant authorities to demand that NPDC engage the community in the remediation efforts, pointing out that since the facility started operation in the area there has been no form of intervention or goodwill from Shell and now NPDC.