The Amanyanabo and Natural Ruler of Bonny Kingdom, His Majesty, King Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple III, CON, Perekule XI, says he will commission an independent investigation of the shutdown of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) plant in Bonny to ascertain what actually happened and its attendant impact on the environment and his people.

The Bonny Monarch made this disclosure via a statement titled “Public Notice on Recent Health Situation in Bonny Kingdom” by the Bonny Chiefs Council (BCC) signed by its Chairman, Chief Dagogo Wilcox.

The statement said “An independent investigation will be carried out to ascertain what impact it may have on our environment and the health of people and livestock on the Island.”

It predicated the need for the investigation on the fears that the recent shutdown of the Nigeria LNG plant in Bonny may have public health consequences for the environment and people of the area.

“The Amanyanabo-In-Council has received complaints of recent inexplicable health situations in the kingdom and the staggering numbers of deaths, mostly in people with underlying life threatening conditions. Council is also aware that there was a sudden increase in the intensity of the flare (with accompanying thick black smoke) which occurred on the 14th of May, 2020 in the NLNG plant.

“These occurrences are of great concern to Council more so as we have been made aware of what the cause of the sudden shut down of the plants with the attendant surge of the intensity of the flare at the NLNG plant and what consequences these may portend for the Kingdom.

“Following this observations Council has established communication with the top management of NLNG with the intention of establishing the cause and nature of the incident.”

Reacting to the development, Chairman of the Bonny Environmental Consultants Committee (BECC), Professor Sodienye Abere applauded the decision of the Amanyanabo of Bonny Kingdom and the Bonny Chiefs Council to commission an independent enquiry into the recent environmental challenges confronting the community.

The BECC, in a letter to the BCC, had recommended, among other things, a full blast environmental audit of the Bonny environs and island; an immediate and quick assessment of the air and water quality as well as the medical stress factor of Bonny LGA; and a collation of the history and sampling of every new case seeking attention in any clinic, hospital and pharmacy in Bonny.

Prof Abere noted that “this is a step in the right direction. When these are done, we shall be able to have full picture of what the situation is, what we are grappling against and the way forward in terms of solutions.    

The BCC also lampooned the proliferation of illegal markets across the island, frowning at the failure of transporters in the area to adhere to the State Governor’s directive on passenger management during the COVID-19 period.  

“Council wishes to use this opportunity to express dismay at the rate which new markets have sprung up in the Island, the failure of commercial vehicles to adhere to the state Governor’s directives on number of passengers in their vehicles, the generally unsanitary condition of our environment as well as the failure of relevant authorities and agencies to designate refuse dumping sites as well as monitor the dumping of refuse, which in addition to its direct impact on health and poor aesthetics has also contributed to blockage of natural drains in the Island thereby providing stagnant pools of water for breeding mosquitoes, the natural vector of the malaria parasite.”

It also noted the recent health complaints and spike in outpatient visits to medical facilities in the area, stating the State Government in conjunction with the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) was already making interventions in that area.

“Meanwhile, the Government of Rivers State and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), have commenced preliminary investigations on the recent events to rule out the possibility of a COVID 19 outbreak considering the peculiarity of the health complaints as recorded in most medical facilities in the Island.”

Also, speaking, a former Supervisor for Health in the Bonny Local Government Council, Dabota Jumbo called on relevant stakeholders to synergize to find sustainable solutions to the health issues affecting the LGA, pointing out that it was time to address the environmental faultlines aggravating the health situation in the area.

She appealed to the Bonny Local Government Council to consider an urgent evacuation of all refuse dumps, desilting of canals and drainages and enforcing general sanitation protocols, with a special focus on safeguarding the lives of the people of the area.