The Ogun State Government has attributed the recurring gas emissions in Ijebu-Ode and surrounding communities to natural underground geological activities, dismissing claims linking the phenomenon to traditional myths or beliefs.

Commissioner for Environment, Dr Ola Oresanya, disclosed this yesterday at a stakeholders’ town hall meeting organised by the state government at the Bisi Rodipe Hall, Government Reservation Area (GRA), Ijebu-Ode, to address concerns over the gas emissions.

Oresanya said scientific investigations had established that the gases being emitted in parts of the town and its environs were mainly methane and hydrogen sulphide, originating from underground fractures along an existing geological fault line.

According to him, the affected areas lie along the Ifewara-Zungeru Trans-Atlantic Fault Line, which stretches from Mojoda through Ijebu-Ode into Osun State and extends to Zungeru in Niger State.

“There is what we call the Ifewara-Zungeru Trans-Atlantic Line that cuts across Mojoda, Ijebu-Ode into Osun State through Zungeru in Niger State. That fault line has existed from time immemorial, and investigations have shown that it connects to the areas where the gas emissions occurred. Coincidentally, all the affected schools are located within that corridor,” he said.

The commissioner explained that historical records indicated that the affected locations were originally forest areas and sparsely populated, adding that many of the schools affected were missionary institutions established on lands donated by community leaders because the areas were largely uninhabited.

He said further scientific analyses were ongoing to determine whether the gases were thermogenic or methanogenic in origin, while investigations were also being conducted to establish whether the area sits on substantial natural gas deposits.

“We are also trying to determine whether Ijebu-Ode is sitting on a huge gas reserve that may have been pressurised beneath the town,” Oresanya added.

Also speaking, Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, urged residents not to panic but to comply with safety advisories whenever gas emissions occur.

She advised residents to cover their noses with wet handkerchiefs rather than use face masks during gas emissions, describing the latter as unsafe under the circumstances. She also urged residents to contact the state’s health emergency line, 08112000033, whenever assistance was required.

On the reopening of schools affected by the incident, Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbadu, said they would resume only after consultations with school principals and zonal education officers.

He appealed to parents to allow the government sufficient time to complete the necessary safety assessments before reopening the schools.

Head of the Department of Earth Sciences, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Prof. Philip Ikhane, who leads the state’s investigation team, assured residents that experts were working to determine the exact cause of the emissions.

He urged residents in the affected communities to remain calm and avoid activities capable of aggravating existing fault lines, including indiscriminate borehole drilling and quarry blasting.

Some stakeholders at the meeting, including Messrs Adegbenro Adetayo, Olawale Kukoyi, Monday Ajayi and Mrs Morayo Adebanjo, commended the state government for its prompt response to the situation.

They also urged residents and school authorities to promptly contact the state’s emergency health services whenever gas emissions occur.

Recall that gas odour has occurred three consecutive times in ijebu ode with many students been hospitalised as a result of the natural underground geological activities.