Rivers’ community raises alarm over leaking NNPC pipeline

Monday, April 20, 2020 5:19 pm

Commissioner for Environment, Okrika LGA Chairman advise residents to stay off leakage site.

Okafor Ofiebor/ Port-Harcourt

Residents of Ibuluya Ama area in Okrika Local Government Council area of Rivers State have raised alarm over continuous leakage of petroleum products from the ruptured pipelines belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, NNPC in their community.

According to them, the pipelines have been leaking for over a week now.

During their visit to the community, Commissioner for Environment in Rivers State, Dr Igbiks Tamuno and Philemon Kingolo, Chairman of Okrika local government area, confirmed the rupture of the NNPC pipeline at Ibuluya Ama community.

It cannot be ascertained whether the leakage resulted from system failure or vandalization by oil thieves as at the time of this report.

But Okrika Council Chairman told the Commissioner of Environment that representatives of NNPC has assured that the pipelines will be repaired while security agents will be deployed to the affected area to avoid any fire outbreak.

Kingolo, however, expressed displeasure at efforts so far taken by the company .

He said that the company merely sprayed chemicals on the leakage site.

He regretted that there have been four rupture of NNPC pipelines in the local government in less than two years.

The Chairman of Okrika LGA asked the Federal Government and the NNPC to replace all damaged pipelines in the council urgently to stop regular explosions from damaged pipelines.

Okrika community is one numerous oil producing local governments in Rivers State with a network of crude oil and refined Petroleum products pipelines laid across the different communities in the council.

Massive enlightenment and sensitization by the department of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) of NNPC are currently being carried out in the community to warn residents to desist from scooping the leaking petroleum products to avoid any form of explosion.