A school was forced to go on recess while the environment has been adversely affected by a gas flaring operation conducted by Shell, an international oil company, in the heart of a community in Bayelsa State.

Residents of Gbarantoru Community, in Ekpetiama Kingdom of Yenagoa LGA, Bayelsa State, have expressed shock over the sudden onset of a massive gas furnace lit by Shell close to homes in the community, without prior notice and consent.

During a visit by Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria [ERA/FoEN] monitors to the area, they observed the gas flare from Shell facility furiously blasting away. According to their report, not only was the horizontally flared gas so huge and noisy, the threat to buildings in the community was obvious as the buildings were vibrating. A school within the vicinity was forced to shut as a direct result of the impact of the flares.

A community person who had the massive gas flare on video record lamented, “See how Shell is flaring their gas. Look at the residence, very close. Shell is causing havoc, and damage to the people of Gbarantoru, health-wise, 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, Shell’s gas flare had raged for about four days.

In an interview with some of the community members, an indigene of Gbarantoru and former councilor in Yenagoa LGA, Seiyefa Saiyou Jones, expressed his regret at the perceived attitude and lack of concern for the people displayed by Shell. He stated that the community has become unbearable to live as the health and safety of the people were under threat due to the gas flaring by Shell.

“In the night there is no way to sleep. Due to the noise from the raging gas flare, the children cannot sleep in the room anymore. The entire building is vibrating. I am directly affected. Besides the light [from the flare], the vibration of the house is so alarming. This is about the fourth day since they put on the gas flare.  It is so alarming in the night, I can’t sleep; my children can’t sleep. We all remain vigilant, awake all through the night.

“This is happening in the heart of the community. They are supposed to relocate those to be affected and compensate them. You can hear the noise. This is even more than the sound of aero plane landing at the airport. Due to this gas flare, the primary school was forced to go on vacation. How can they learn under this atmosphere?” he said.

The Ibenanaowei of Ekpetiama kingdom, HRM King Bubaraye Dakolo, Agada IV l said the people of the community may die from the harmful substances that have been released into the air.

The 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.”

Executive Director of ERA/FoEN, Chima Williams said that Shell’s action is “nothing but eco-terrorism, as the vegetation, lives and property of victims are under attack.”

He called on the Federal Ministries of Petroleum and Environment to prevail on Shell to stop such acts of “eco-terrorism”. He also urged the Bayelsa State Ministry of Environment to lodge a formal complaint over the incident.

Findings by Nigerian Tribune indicated that Shell had suspended the gas flaring operation in the community as of press time. (Nigerian Tribune)