FG sends experts to Ogun as gas leaks keep sending students to hospital
- The NUPRC has sent a technical team to Ogun State to find the source of gas seeping into schools around Ijebu.
- Officials say early findings point to natural underground gas, not a broken pipeline.
- More than 100 students have been hospitalised in repeated incidents since April.
Federal Government don send team of technical experts to Ogun State to find out why gas dey leak into ground around schools for Ijebu area, wey dey send students to hospital again and again.
The team wey Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) put together, start work with joint briefing and site visit for Ijebu Ode on Saturday.
The NUPRC team lead, Prosper Okonedo, wey be Assistant Director for the commission, talk say dem set up the committee about two weeks ago on the instruction of the commission's Chief Executive, Mrs Oritsemeyawa Eyesan, after the state government do their own initial assessment and submit report.
Okonedo talk say dem don confirm similar gas seepage for Delta State and dem dey study am for one Rivers State community. But for Ogun, e talk say the source never clear.
"We cannot really say what it is right now. That is why we are here," e talk.
Wetin we know so far
Ogun's Commissioner for Environment, Mr Ola Oresanya, talk say the gas dey come from under ground, no be from pipeline.
"There is no gas pipeline at Owode in Ikenne, and there is no gas pipeline around Ijebu-Omu where these things are happening. It is coming from the upper crust," e talk.
E talk say the problem no only for Ogun, with similar reports for Rivers, Delta and Osun states. E ask residents make dem no panic and talk say there no immediate plan to move people out of the affected communities.
Prof. Philip Ikhiane of Olabisi Onabanjo University, wey lead the state's technical team, talk say early geological work and remote sensing find underground features wey fit be faults, fractures or joints. These, e talk, fit be pathways for natural gas to rise to the surface.
The state government bin earlier identify the gas as methane.
The incidents don hit schools hard. More than 100 students for Ijebu Ode, Ago Iwoye and Ijebu Igbo go hospital after dem breathe the gas, including for State Hospital for Ijebu Ode and General Hospital for Ijebu Igbo.
Schools wey affected include Ijebu Igbo Girls Grammar School, Anglican Girls Grammar School for Ijebu Ode and Itamerin Comprehensive High School for Ago Iwoye. Others wey dem name for earlier incidents be Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School at Epe Garage, Ijebu Ode, and St Anthony Grammar School for Ijebu Imusin.
The first incident for April affect about 40 students, according to reports. More than 120 go hospital for May, and 69 more on June 1.
One teacher for one of the schools, wey no want make dem name am, talk say the gas strike around 10am. "The students and the staff started inhaling this gas and began to have difficulty in breathing and were fainting," the teacher talk.
Wetin go happen next
The NUPRC team go visit the sites and write report on wetin dey cause the emissions and how to stop them. For parents and teachers for Ijebu land, the immediate question be whether schools fit safe before the next incident.
