The Ogun State government has intensified efforts to investigate recurring gas emissions around some secondary schools in Ijebu-Ode, in collaboration with the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), following preliminary findings that methane and other atmospheric gases are present in the affected areas.

The state Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, said the involvement of the federal regulatory agency was necessary because the problem could extend beyond Ogun State and required a broader regional investigation.

Speaking at a meeting with NUPRC officials and environmental experts on the lasting solution and to conducting an on-the-spot assessment of the affected locations, Oresanya said similar gas-related incidents had been reported in Rivers, Delta and Ondo states.

He said the development made federal government involvement essential to establishing the source of the emissions and determining an appropriate response.

“This is becoming a regional issue, and once it becomes a regional issue, it goes beyond what a state government can handle independently,” he said.

Oresanya said the meeting was intended to strengthen cooperation between the state and federal governments, particularly in identifying the precise nature and origin of the emissions.

He added that the government was working to address gaps in existing information through scientific investigations, expressing confidence that the exercise would be completed within the next few weeks.

“Establishing the exact nature of the problem is the first step towards finding a solution. Without a clearly defined understanding of the problem, efforts towards resolving it could amount to a futile exercise”.

The commissioner urged residents not to panic, although he acknowledged the need for concern over possible public health implications, particularly as some of the affected locations were close to schools.

“There is no reason for panic. We should be concerned, but we should not panic. The government is working seriously to bridge the information gap and address the situation,” he said.

He said NUPRC experts would review research previously conducted by teams deployed by the state government and work with local specialists to establish the cause of the emissions.

The assistant director at the NUPRC, Omonedo Prosper, said the commission would undertake an assessment and produce a report that would help the government determine the appropriate response.

“We’ll do an assessment and come up with a report that will work well for the Nigerian people,” he said.

Prosper said the commission had a study group examining similar incidents, including a case in Delta State where investigations had established that gas seepage was coming from beneath the earth’s surface.

However, he cautioned against drawing conclusions about the Ijebu-Ode incident before the planned field assessment.

“We can not really say what it is right now, and that is why we are here. We are going to deploy to the site to see for ourselves what the situation is, even though the state government has reported seepages of gas affecting certain secondary schools in some communities”.

He said the commission’s involvement reflected its responsibility to protect the welfare and wellbeing of Nigerians, adding that it would work with the Ogun State government to find a solution to any problem established by the investigation.

Prosper said the meeting brought together experts from the commission’s headquarters, its Lagos regional office, and international counterparts to support the assessment.

Earlier investigations by a team from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, had identified methane and other atmospheric gases in the affected areas.

A professor of sedimentary and petroleum geology in the university’s Department of Earth Sciences, Ikhane Phillips Reuben, said the institution was initially approached by the state Ministry of Environment after reports of gas emissions at some secondary schools in Ijebu-Ode.

He said the university’s team conducted remote sensing and geographical information systems screening to establish the presence and distribution of the suspected methane gas.

According to him, the exercise detected methane, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone in the atmosphere, with methane recorded at the highest concentration.

Phillips Reuben said the findings suggested that the affected environment was under stress because of the presence of the gases.

He also disclosed that preliminary geological investigations had identified underground lineaments, which could represent faults, fractures, joints or unconformities through which gas might be escaping to the surface.

The findings informed the university’s recommendation that the state government conduct comprehensive geophysical and geochemical surveys to establish the source and nature of the emissions.

He said the investigations would determine whether the gas was biogenic, resulting from the decomposition of organic matter close to the surface, or thermogenic, originating from deeper geological formations associated with petroleum deposits.

The professor said distinguishing between the two sources was important in determining the appropriate intervention and developing a sustainable solution.

He added that the state government was working towards implementing the recommendations, while the NUPRC’s involvement would support a wider investigation.
On the potential dangers of methane, Phillips Reuben said high concentrations of the gas could displace oxygen in the atmosphere, potentially exposing people to oxygen depletion.

He also warned that substantial concentrations could create an explosion risk under certain conditions.

However, he distinguished methane exposure from carbon monoxide poisoning, explaining that methane was not directly toxic in the same way as carbon monoxide but could pose serious risks by reducing the amount of oxygen available for breathing.

He said people affected by oxygen depletion could recover when moved to an environment with adequate oxygen.

The professor also referred to advice from the Ogun State Ministry of Health that residents in affected areas could use a wet handkerchief to cover their noses.

The ongoing investigation is expected to establish the geological origin and concentration of the gases, as well as their possible implications for public health and safety.

However, the General Manager Ogun state environmental protection agency (OGEPA), Hon . Kenny Bello explained that the state government is on top of the situation in finding a lasting solution to the incident .

He noted that the state government and the NUPRC team will bring their expertise to bear in solving the issue associated with poisoning chemical incident .