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Egi Gas Leakage: Total Plans Containment Well
Total Exploration and Production Nigeria, says it plans to drill a relief well to end gas leakage into the environment near its Obite plant in Rivers State.
The oil firm shut down the Obite Gas Plant following a technical fault during a drilling campaign at the oil firm’s oil block OML 58.
The incident was reportedly noticed on March 20 in Ogba/Ndoni/Egbema Local Government Area, Rivers State.
According to a statement in Eket last Friday, efforts are underway to stop the gas flow.
The statement signed by Total’s External Communication Manager, Charles Ebereonwu, said”Operations are being actively prepared on the affected well to stop the gas flow quickly and permanently.
“Equipment is also being installed to recover the gas above ground and thereby limit its subsurface flow.
“A drilling rig is being brought in to drill a relief well and a second rig has been ordered.”
The oil firm said that members of the affected communities were actively involved in the surveillance of the affected area.
Meanwhile, Rivers State Governor, Rt Hon Chibuke Amaechi has charged Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited (Total E&P) to stop the gas leakage at Obite in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of the state within the shortest possible time.
Governor Amaechi gave this charge last Friday during a courtesy visit on the paramount ruler of Egi Kingdom, His Royal Highness, Eze Kingdom Elenwa at his palace at Obite.
Represented by his Deputy Governor, Engr Tele Ikuru, Governor Amaechi, assured the people of Egi kingdom that government would ensure that the incident is properly contained, noting that though Total E&P was making frantic efforts at resolving the situation, it still needs to do more. He regretted that the environment has been polluted and the people’s means of livelihood adversely affected.
“I have listened to the explanations of the company; I have gone round the affected sites and seen what they are doing to contain the incident but I have told them to do more,” he said, adding that “I have also told them to provide relief materials and compensation to the affected communities as they won’t be able to farm on their land henceforth,” According to him, “so far the company has taken full responsibility for the incident”.
He noted that his priority now was for Total E&P to stop the leakage first before embarking on the issues of remediation and compensations, disclosing “ we are working with the state House of Assembly and the Ministry of Environment to ensure that the situation is speedily resolved, he said, and expressed delight over ‘the robust relationship and cordiality between the company and the affected community.
In his response, the paramount ruler of Egi Kingdom, Eze Kingdom Elenwa, expressed happiness on the visit of the governor, saying that the move has assured him that government was doing something to take care of the situation. He thank Governor Amaechi for the intervention, regretting, however that the incident took place
In a related development, the management of Total Exploration and Production (Total E&P) has said that it had set up a safety perimeter at the Ibewa gas production site in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers.
Mr Charles Ebereonwu, the Manager, External Communication of the company, said in a statement in Port Harcourt, that tests on water wells and air quality in the area had been done.
He said that a technical incident occurred at the site, which was in an uninhabited area near the onshore Obite gas production facilities on the oil mining lease 58 in the state.
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
News
Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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