A gas pipeline owned by the Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) has exploded, causing damage to the environment in the Obagi community of the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area in Rivers State.
The explosion happened on Wednesday evening, and fortunately, no one was killed. This incident comes less than a month after another explosion in Omoku West, which resulted in the loss of 19 lives.
Vincent Job, the Local Government Chairman, confirmed the incident during an interview with Channels Television on Saturday.
“Yes, it happened at Obagi, but thankfully no life was lost. I’ve gone there myself, and during my interaction with the indigenes they feel it’s as a result of equipment failure, though oil and gas experts may have something else to add,” he said.
“We had a very dastardly crude oil explosion at Omoku West. Yesterday too, we also had another one in a different location, that is Obagi. For us who are novices in the oil field, you will find out that some of this equipment has lasted for more than 30 or 40 years, which calls for its removal.
“You will find out that the locals are there and they suffer a lot of this degradation. The Federal Government and the International Oil Companies (IOCs) should ensure that their pipelines, and facilities are up to date.”
The traditional ruler of the community, Eze Clinton Elemele, stated that the gas leak had been ongoing since June of the previous year. He mentioned that they had contacted Agip and NLNG about the issue, but after inspecting the pipeline, both companies denied ownership. However, now that the explosion has occurred, Agip has finally admitted that the pipeline belongs to them.
Furthermore, other residents of the community are also upset with NAOC for what they perceive as negligence. They accuse NAOC of not conducting a proper Environmental Impact Assessment before installing the pipeline in the community.
As of now, a Joint Investigation Visit has not been conducted, and neither Agip nor the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) have issued any statements regarding the explosion.
