The National Assembly of Nigeria has urged the Federal Government and the Rivers State Government to declare Bille Kingdom in Degema Local Council Area of Rivers State an emergency zone. This call follows persistent gas leaks and reported environmental degradation in the community. The lawmakers made this demand at the 2026 National Extractives Dialogue in Port Harcourt, organised by Spaces for Change.
The National Extractives Dialogue examined the effects of gas leaks on waterways, residential areas, drinking wells, and the livelihoods of Bille Kingdom residents. The event had the theme “Remediation Before Divestment and Energy Transition: Amplifying the Bille Environmental Crisis.” The dialogue aimed to address the environmental crisis in Bille Kingdom and find solutions to mitigate its effects.
Dumnamene Dekor, Chairman of the House Committee on Host Communities, stressed that the scale of the crisis required urgent government intervention. He called on the Federal Government and the Rivers State Government to formally declare Bille a disaster zone, which would facilitate access to emergency funding and resources. Dekor also urged the National Emergency Management Agency and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to establish medical camps and distribute relief materials.
Dekor further called for immediate humanitarian measures to protect residents in high-risk areas of Bille Kingdom. He suggested that the government should prepare viable evacuation plans for the high-risk parts of the town. Dekor also urged community leaders, civil society organisations, regulatory bodies, and industry stakeholders to join hands in addressing the environmental crisis.
The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency and the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative have called for the identification, disclosure, and remediation of environmental liabilities before oil and gas assets are divested or transferred to new operators. This call aims to ensure that environmental responsibilities are not transferred to new operators without proper remediation.
The Director-General of NOSDRA, represented by Dr Yusuf Rigasa, assured the community that the agency remained committed to transparently sharing the findings of its investigations and ensuring that appropriate remediation measures followed. Rigasa said that environmental responsibilities should not disappear merely because ownership of an oil asset changes.
The Executive Secretary of NEITI, Musa Sarkin Adar, warned that environmental liabilities could be transferred from well-capitalised international operators to successor companies with different financial and technical capacities. This could ultimately leave host communities and the Nigerian government to bear the consequences. The dialogue aims to address these concerns and find solutions to the environmental crisis in Bille Kingdom.
Key points
- The National Assembly has called on the government to declare Bille Kingdom an emergency zone due to persistent gas leaks and environmental degradation.
- The government has been urged to establish medical camps, distribute relief materials, and develop evacuation plans for residents in high-risk areas.
- NOSDRA and NEITI have called for the identification, disclosure, and remediation of environmental liabilities before oil and gas assets are divested or transferred to new operators.
