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The House of Representatives Committee on the South-South Development Commission has called for immediate action to end the prolonged gas seepage in Bille Community, Rivers State, and the lingering oil spill in Odidi Federated Community, Delta State.
Chairman of the committee, Hon. Julius Pondi, made the call on Thursday during a stakeholders’ meeting on the Bille gas seepage and a legislative hearing on the Odidi oil spill in Abuja.
Pondi said the environmental crises had subjected residents of both oil-producing communities to months of hardship, insisting that the time had come for concrete interventions rather than endless investigations.
According to him, the committee became more concerned after a July 30, 2026 engagement with the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), where it was revealed that the Bille gas seepage had persisted for about nine months.
He described the situation as unacceptable, warning that the prolonged incident posed serious risks to public health, safety and the environment while crippling the local economy.
The lawmaker noted that Bille, a community largely dependent on fishing, had suffered severe disruptions to livelihoods, food security, household incomes and children's education.
Pondi said the committee convened the meeting to establish the facts surrounding the gas seepage, assess measures already taken, identify obstacles and agree on practical, time-bound solutions.
He said oil companies, NUPRC, NOSDRA and other relevant agencies were expected to provide detailed reports on the cause, extent and current status of the incident, while community representatives would outline the challenges facing residents.
On the Odidi oil spill in Delta State, Pondi said the committee would investigate the circumstances surrounding the spill, including when it occurred, containment efforts, environmental damage, remediation status and reasons for the delay in resolving the incident.
He stressed that the House would adopt a fair and evidence-based approach aimed at promoting accountability and ensuring lasting solutions.
Pondi described the situations in Bille and Odidi as a reflection of the wider environmental challenges confronting the Niger Delta despite its enormous contribution to Nigeria's oil and gas industry.
He maintained that communities hosting oil and gas operations should not continue to bear the burden of environmental degradation without adequate protection and intervention.
The lawmaker warned that the committee expected firm commitments, clearly defined responsibilities and measurable timelines from all stakeholders involved.
Meanwhile, NOSDRA confirmed that investigations had detected hydrogen sulphide, methane, carbon dioxide and volatile organic compounds in Bille Community.
A director of the agency, Dr. Yusuf Rigasa, said investigators discovered multiple underground gas bubbling points in different locations, including the premises of a government primary and secondary school that has since been abandoned.
He disclosed that bubbling was also observed in waterways and mangrove swamps, while air quality tests conducted across 19 locations revealed concentrations of hazardous gases above regulatory limits.
Rigasa explained that hydrogen sulphide emits a rotten-egg odour, while methane is highly flammable and poses explosion risks.
He further revealed that laboratory analysis of groundwater, surface water and sediment samples showed elevated levels of petroleum hydrocarbons, confirming widespread environmental pollution.
According to him, preliminary findings suggest the seepage may be biogenic, resulting from the natural decomposition of organic matter, although investigations are continuing to determine whether it is linked to an underground hydrocarbon reservoir.
He said NOSDRA had yet to identify any oil and gas operator responsible for the seepage despite working with Renaissance, Eroton, New Cross and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company during investigations.
Rigasa added that NUPRC found no oil pipelines within the immediate area of the seepage, making it difficult to attribute responsibility to any operator at this stage.
He, however, confirmed that the air, groundwater, surface water and sediments in the affected areas had been polluted.
Also speaking, the Secretary-General of the Bille Kingdom Chiefs Council, Chief Luckyman Egbila, said the gas seepage had devastated the community's livelihoods and created serious health concerns.
He explained that the incident was first discovered on November 6, 2025, when women harvesting periwinkles in the mangrove noticed unusual gas bubbling and immediately alerted authorities.
Although regulatory agencies later visited the community and carried out several environmental assessments, Egbila said residents had not received clear explanations of the findings or any permanent solution.
He lamented that fishing activities had been severely affected, while access to safe drinking water had become increasingly difficult as some boreholes reportedly produced black-coloured water.
The traditional leader also disclosed that pupils had been relocated from the community's primary school because of concerns over exposure to the emissions.
Egbila appealed to the Federal Government, regulatory agencies and oil companies to urgently provide potable water, improve healthcare services and permanently resolve the gas seepage.
He noted that while the Rivers State Government provided N100 million for emergency relief, including food supplies and medical outreach, the intervention was inadequate considering the scale and duration of the crisis.
Responding, Pondi assured residents of Bille and Odidi that the House of Representatives would continue to exercise its oversight responsibilities until lasting solutions were implemented, stressing that host communities deserve environmental justice and adequate protection.
