By Samuel Oyadongha

Environmental Rights Action, ERA/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, FoEN, has condemned the fresh flaring of gas at Gbarantoru community in Ekpetiama Kingdom, Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State by Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, describing the action as eco-terrorism against the people..

It will be recalled that residents of Gbarantoru and neighbouring communities had in January raised the alarm over preparations by the oil giant to again flare noxious gas into the atmosphare.

Investigation showed that in October 2009, SPDC ignited a gas flare furnace at midnight that woke the people to an environment polluted by noise and noxious gas emitting into the atmosphere.

Reacting to the latest flaring of gas in the area, Programme Manager ERA/FoEN, Bayelsa Office, Alagoa Morris, in a report, described the incident “as nothing but corporate eco-terrorism, as the vegetation, lives and property of the people are under attack by this horizontal shelling of the environment with noxious gases, which negates the principle behind Article 24 of African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Right.”

According to the report, “Gbarantoru in Ekpetiama Kingdom is a relatively large community and densely populated. ERA/FoEN, during this visit (February 1, 2024), witnessed the gas flare from Shell facility furiously blasting away. Not only was the horizontally flared gas so huge and menacingly noisy, the threat to buildings in the community was obvious as they continue to vibrate rhythmically.

“Even building with solid foundation could experience cracks presently or later owing to the negative impact. If a school within the environment can be forced to go on vacation as a direct result of this act of eco-terrorism, does it not speak volumes? If people are denied sleep at night, is this not disturbing enough?

“This is an aggression on the people. If EIA was ever done, no matter how long, what were the mitigation measures? These and other questions are begging for answers. With the prevailing cases of asthma, cancer and other respiratory diseases, the health implication on our people is something to worry about.

“Due to the roaring of the gas flare, hearing is an issue and people have to raise their voices while talking to each other within the impacted environment in the community (even from a distance of about 200- 300 metres away from the flare point) during the day. This would obviously be worse in the night.

“ERA/FoEN also observed something strange, maybe because the gas flaring was actually raging within the community and at ground level. From hoses, very high pressure liquid suspected to be water was being sprayed into the air in the direction of the huge flare. The sprayed water might be technically viewed as reducing heat produced by the flame or have some chemical reaction with the noxious gases so released.”

The group called on the Federal Ministries of Petroleum and Environment to prevail on the company to stop the ongoing eco-terrorism in Gbarantoru as well as the Bayelsa State Ministry of Environment to bridge the gap with formal complaint to the federal authorities concerning the unacceptable shelling of Gbarantoru with noxious gases.

“Our people and environment have had more than enough of oil industry induced pollution over the years,” ERA/FoEN said.

Vanguard Newspaper