By Edu Abade
Residents of Gbarantoru Community in Ekpetiama Kingdom of Yenagoa Council, Bayelsa State, have expressed shock over the sudden onset of a massive gas furnace ignited by Shell close to homes in the community, without prior notice and consent.
Following the persistent huge gas flares on the fringes of the community, the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has raised the alarm that oil companies responsible for gas flaring have often perpetrated such a dangerously polluting act close to homes in communities, with or without any form of permission.
In a statement made available to journalists by HOMEF Media and Communication Lead, ‘Kome Odhomor, the environmental watchdog said: “This is yet another testament to the impunity with which these oil multinationals operate in the Niger Delta.”
Residents lament the pain of being left in the lurch without any consultation or help.
A community woman stated that she was alarmed by the noise from the huge gas furnace and massive smoke, saying: “I ran out of her apartment screaming and asking what are they burning at that end?”
Another resident of the community said: “Nobody has come to talk to anybody before flaring this gas.”
Yet another resident who had the massive gas flare on a video recorded lamented: “See how SPDC is flaring their gas. Look at the residence, very close. SPDC is causing havoc and huge damage to the people of Gbarantoru, health-wise and with noise pollution.
“The government should come to our aid. They should relocate the occupants of all the buildings. Houses are vibrating, windows are shaking, and children are scared.
There’s no way to sleep at night; heat all over.” According to some community persons, as of Saturday, March 2, 2024, Shell’s massive gas furnace had raged on for about four days.
Reacting to the development, Executive Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Nnimmo Bassey called for an end to gas flaring citing its socio-ecological, health, climate and economic impacts on the people of the Niger Delta.
“We consider the activity of Shell as contravening the fundamental right to life and dignity of the people of Gbarantoru and their neighbours, as specified under sections 33 and 34 of the amended 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and as affirmed by a High Court ruling in November 2005 in the case of Jonah Gbemre against Shell.
“The flaring of gas is pervasive in the Niger Delta and is a harmful and wasteful practice. Aside from being a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change, the impacts of gas flares on the health of community people, their ecosystems, biodiversity, aquatic resources, agricultural production, livelihood sources, as well as the larger Nigerian economy are deleterious,” he said.
HOMEF notes that calculations made, using World Bank figures, showed that from 2013 to 2019, about 319.48 standard cubic feet of gas were flared into Nigeria’s environment amounting to a waste of $1,080,390,000 without a cost put to the amount of pollution caused.
Again, PwC figures have shown that between 2020 and the first two months of 2024, 595.1 million standard cubic feet of gas have been flared in nine Nigerian states amounting to another waste of $1.9 billion and more damage to the environment.
“The Niger Delta people have had to deal with over 65 years of environmental pollution and degradation by oil multinationals. We believe that it is high time that stringent measures are taken to put an end to gas flaring in Nigeria and to chart a path towards a just and equitable energy transition. Communities in the Niger Delta have continually raised alarm over the illicit activities of the oil and gas sector,” the statement added.
