Bayelsa communities panic over Shell’s alleged gas flare plan

Residents of Gbarantoru and neighbouring communities in the Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State have raised the alarm over alleged preparations to flare noxious gas again by the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, a field report by the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria has said.

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 emitted into the atmosphere.

According to the report released on Monday and signed by the field monitors of ERA/FoEN, Alagoa Morris and Akpotu Ziworitin, “a towering oil well drilling rig” has already been raised by Shell with a possibility that it could “set up the gas flare stack, and flare gas…”

The report said, “Incidentally, Shell would flare horizontally,  at ground level. Considering the proximity to the community and living homes, the leadership of Gbarantoru and Ekpetiama kingdom is very much concerned about the health implications on inhabitants, even as the community has witnessed expansion.”

A resident of the community, Kembia Paul, said the impending igniting of the gas flare furnace “is not good for human health,” adding that expectedly the gas flare furnace would be ignited at midnight any day soon.

She said, “Even this one (the raised rig), it was (done) in the night; we just woke up and saw that they had done it (raised the rig). So, definitely igniting of the gas flare furnace is expected in the night. Since it is not good for human health (children are here), if there is anything they can do to help, we are interested because of our health.”

The report also quoted the Chairman of the Progressive Forum of Gbarantoru, Dakolo Ineikade, as recalling that the last time Shell flared gas, “it affected our crops, buildings, and we couldn't sleep. The same thing is about to happen.”

Ineikade advised the oil firm to move the activity elsewhere because the inhabitants of the area would not accept the hazardous effects of the noxious emission.

“This gas flare that is about to occur here, I, a former youth leader and other concerned members of the community, have taken it upon ourselves that we will stand and make sure the gas flare won't take place. SPDC should take it elsewhere…we are the immediate impacted community,” he said.

Also speaking, the monarch of Ekpetiama Kingdom, King Bubaraye Dakolo, described the activity as an aggression against the community people and indeed the Ijaw nation in general.

“From all indications, as they are drilling currently, definitely it will get to a point where they will flare gas.

“Flaring means putting those nuzzles into my nostrils and pumping me with those noxious chemicals. And, even if I can stand it, how many persons in the community would be able to stand it? So, definitely, people would die and you won't even know that it is caused by poison from Shell. I don't really blame Shell. Why would the Nigerian state, with all the NUPRC, and all the regulators just sit there, and people will come and kill people? So, what is your job as a regulator?”

When contacted, the Media Relations Manager, SPDC, Mr Michael Adande, said he would make contacts and get back to our correspondent but had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.

Recall that Ijaw nation stakeholders under the auspices of the Ijaw National Congress had, at the weekend, demanded that divesting International Oil Companies should clean up the polluted sites around the environments of their host communities in Ijaw land before pulling out of the Niger Delta.

They made their position known in a communique after a one-day dialogue organised by the INC at its national headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, with the theme, ‘The imperative for paradigm shift'. The forum was presided over by the President of INC, Prof Benjamin Okaba.

The PUNCH reports that oil giant, Shell, announced on January 15, 2024, that it had agreed to sell its Nigerian onshore oil assets to Renaissance, a consortium of four Nigerian companies and one foreign firm for $2.4bn.

Shell, which had been operating in Nigeria for over 60 years, in a statement by its London office, said with the deal, its onshore subsidiary, the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, would now be operated by ND Western, Aradel Energy, First E&P, Waltersmith, and Petrolin, a Swiss company.

The oil major, however, stated that the completion of the deal was still subject to approval by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

On Thursday last week, the Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, said it was not opposed to Shell's sale of oil assets.

A statement signed by Nneamaka Okafor, the Special Adviser on Media and Communication to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, affirmed the government's commitment to providing the enabling business-friendly environment in the country's oil and gas industry.