Residents of Bille Kingdom in Rivers State are demanding an end to the gas flaring crisis, which is putting their lives, health and environment at risk.
The Bille Liberation Movement (BLM) issued a letter recently calling on President Bola Tinubu, the Rivers State Government, relevant agencies and international organisations to act immediately.
The group acknowledged that government bodies and other groups have visited Bille to assess the situation and collect samples. For the people living there, the problem is not just about studies or reports. It is about suffering.
“This open letter is an appeal ” the BLM said. “We are dealing with gas emissions and flaring in our community. It is affecting our health, our homes, our land and our way of life.”
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The BLM wants experts from outside Nigeria to be brought in: environmental, humanitarian, and public-health specialists. They emphasized this request is not meant to challenge Nigeria’s sovereignty.
It is meant to protect people. They believe outside expertise can help build trust, bring transparency, and speed up solutions.
They also asked the state governments to work together to coordinate any international support and make all findings public. They want the people of Bille to know what is happening and to understand what they should do to stay safe.
The group further called on oil and gas companies operating near the Niger Delta to cooperate fully with investigations. They said companies must support efforts to find the cause of the emissions and help stop the damage.
