By Sandra Kenneth
The member representing Khana/Gokana Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Dumnamene Dekor, has called on both the Federal and Rivers State governments to urgently declare Bille Kingdom in Degema Local Government Area a disaster zone.
Dekor emphasized that the formal declaration is critical to unlocking emergency relief funding and mobilizing immediate state and federal interventions to contain persistent gas leaks and reverse the severe environmental degradation crippling the coastal community.
The lawmaker made the passionate appeal in Port Harcourt during the 2026 National Extractives Dialogue, organized by civil society organization Spaces for Change under the theme, “Remediation Before Divestment and Energy Transition: Amplifying the Bille Environmental Crisis.”
Delivering an address on behalf of the Director-General of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Engr. Chukwuemeka Woke, NOSDRA’s Director of ICT, Yusuf Rigasa, revealed that the agency has initiated multi-agency technical investigations into the Bille discharge. Rigasa assured affected residents that NOSDRA remains committed to publishing its findings transparently and enforcing complete environmental remediation against responsible parties.
Highlighting the systemic issues behind the disaster, the Executive Director of Spaces for Change, Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, stated that the ongoing tragedy in Bille exposes dangerous flaws in how environmental liabilities are handled during corporate asset transfers and divestments.
She lamented that the people of Bille have endured months of uncontrolled gas emissions, resulting in widespread ecosystem contamination, the destruction of vital water sources, and the total collapse of local fishing livelihoods.
