The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has stepped up efforts to address gas seepage incidents in Rivers and Delta States through humanitarian interventions and technical assessments aimed at mitigating the impact on affected communities.
The agency disclosed that it had distributed relief materials to residents of Bille Community in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, following an assessment of the incident and its effects on the community.
The development was contained in a statement issued on Saturday by Manzo Ezekiel of NEMA’s Press Unit.
The Director-General of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar, who was represented by the Head of the Port Harcourt Operations Office, Mr Chidi Ogundu, said the intervention was designed to ease the immediate humanitarian challenges facing affected residents.
During the exercise, Ogundu led the NEMA delegation on a courtesy visit to the King of Bille Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, King Igbikingeri Ngowari Cornelius, where he conveyed the Director-General’s sympathy and solidarity with the monarch and the affected community.
Addressing residents, he explained that the Federal Government, through NEMA, provided essential food supplies and other relief materials to cushion the hardship caused by the gas seepage incident.
The distribution exercise was attended by representatives of the Rivers State Emergency Management Agency (RISEMA), the Nigerian Red Cross Society and other relevant stakeholders.
Community leaders expressed appreciation to the Federal Government and NEMA for the intervention, describing the humanitarian assistance as timely in addressing the immediate needs of affected residents.
In a related development, NEMA coordinated a multi-stakeholder technical mission to Uzere Kingdom in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State from November 3 to 4, 2026, following reports of gas seepage in the community.
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The Director-General was represented during the technical mission by the Director of Planning, Research and Forecasting, Dr Godwin Tepikor.
The agency said the interventions in both states demonstrated its integrated approach to disaster management, combining humanitarian assistance, technical assessments, inter-agency coordination and sustained engagement with affected communities.
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