Businessman and NDC governorship candidate, Chief Barr. Dumo Lulu-Briggs, has called for urgent and coordinated intervention over the environmental emergency affecting Bille Community in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, warning that the unfolding situation poses a serious threat to lives, public health, and the economic well-being of residents.
In a statement on the environmental crisis, Lulu-Briggs described the reported incident as more than an ecological challenge, saying it has evolved into a humanitarian emergency that requires immediate attention from all relevant authorities.
He expressed sympathy for families, fishermen, women, children, and community institutions whose health, access to potable water, safety, and sources of livelihood may have been affected. According to him, no host community should be left to grapple with fear and uncertainty while waiting for investigations to be concluded.
The governorship hopeful called on the Federal Government, the Rivers State Government, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Degema Local Government Council, the Bille Kingdom leadership, and oil and gas operators in the area to immediately activate a coordinated emergency response and source-control strategy.
Lulu-Briggs said the immediate focus should be on protecting lives, providing emergency medical services and clean drinking water, identifying and containing the source of the environmental hazard, releasing scientific findings to the public in clear and accessible language, and ensuring proper environmental remediation and compensation where responsibility is established.
He stressed that the response to the crisis must be guided by facts, transparency, and accountability rather than politics.
“This moment calls for transparent science, not speculation; practical relief, not political theatre; and accountability, not delay. The people of Bille deserve to know the truth about what has happened, the risks they face, the steps being taken to address the situation, and those who will be held accountable.”
Lulu-Briggs also said the incident underscores the urgent need for both the Federal and Rivers State governments to address the dangers posed by ageing and abandoned oil and gas infrastructure across host communities.
He warned that obsolete pipelines, abandoned wells, ageing flowlines, pumps, and other neglected oilfield facilities continue to endanger lives, destroy livelihoods, and threaten fragile ecosystems if left unattended.
While refraining from assigning blame before investigations are concluded, he maintained that regulators, scientists, and technical experts must determine the cause of the incident. Nevertheless, he insisted that government agencies and relevant operators have a duty to act immediately to protect affected residents, contain the hazard, and ensure that anyone found liable takes full responsibility for remediation and compensation.
He reaffirmed his call for environmental justice, insisting that the people of Bille and other host communities deserve protection, transparency, and responsible management of the natural resources extracted from their land and waters.
“The people of Rivers State deserve environmental justice, public safety, honest information, and responsible stewardship of the resources taken from their communities. Bille must not be left to suffer in silence.”
