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From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
Most oil rich communities of Ohaji/Egbema and Oguta local government areas of Imo State have suffered decades of neglect, not minding agreements indicating that they would benefit from the Niger Delta Master Plan to cushion the effects of oil exploration in the area.
Having waited for several years for this to be implemented without hope, the communities have now resorted to protests and threats.
At the moment, Awarra, Ochia, Assa, Obile, and Obitti communities in Ohaji/Egbema LG are spoiling for war with Shell Petroleum Company over the failure of the oil company to address their plight.
In fact, the host communities regretted welcoming Shell to their land in the first place. Even youths of the communities who have most times been restive blame their actions on the oil company which came to their land in 1958.
One of them, Emeka Nwulu, said the company through its actions separated the communities from one another rather than uniting them: “Their actions have made us regret allowing them to operate in our land. If urgent steps are not taken, we might be forced to eject them from our land.
“Since 1958, the company found its way into our various communities, till date, we have been living as foes among ourselves. Instead of the product they brought to our land to make us happy and united, it rather separated us, leaving us in anguish. The infighting in our communities can be greatly attributed to the operations of the company.”
Chairman, Assa North Cluster Forum (ANCF), Stanley Ikoku, said: “The only benefits we enjoy from the presence of Shell is confusion, crisis, divide and rule in order to achieve its desires. Instead of fulfilling all agreements, and enjoy amenities like good roads, hospitals, water, electricity, and markets which the areas have been deprived of, you rather find chaotic situations and abandoned projects.” He called Governor Hope Uzodimma to intervene before the matter gets out of hand.
In a “Save-Our-Soul” by the communities to thegovernor, they said: “We want to inform you sir, that if Shell refuses to recognise the constituted and approved Assa North Cluster Board led by Anayo Onyiruka and give it immediate attention, further crisis that will come up in that area will definitely consume them.
“They should give attention to our nagging problems if they do not want to incur our wrath. It baffles us that the same Shell has turned down and bluntly refused to recognise the Assa North Cluster Board inaugurated by the Imo State Government after dissolving the defaulted board led by one late Mr. Uho Uzomba who was kidnapped and killed by gunmen.”
The communities wondered why the oil company would continue to recognise a board that was already dissolved by the government against the interest of the host communities.
“The new cluster board was quite representative as stakeholders including traditional rulers and Presidents General of the communities made nominations into it.
“The road from Umuapu, Ihie, Obitti, Ochia, Awarra to Assa and Obile, Etekuru, Obokofia and Obiakpo respectively serving Shell as assess road to the autonomous communities for their operations is full of deathtraps and still yearning for attention.
“Among other things, we have continued to suffer from are lack of health insurance scheme to our aged parents who are now suffering acute blindness and polluted air-borne diseases duo to lack of healthcare and gas flaring operations of the company.
“The most annoying factor is that, all opportunities that were supposed to be within Imo State and sited at Assa North Cluster Area Base to alleviate the sufferings of the youths were instead sited at Edo State, thereby bringing down the economy of the state.
“Our youths were daily promised skill acquisition that never materialize at the end of the day. In the employment quota, only few were taken from the Asa North Cluster Base while larger chunk of it are from Bayelsa, Edo, Rivers, Delta and other states, leaving our youths in abject poverty.”
They also urged the governor to implore Shell to return such opportunities taken outside the state back to Imo or face their wrath: “The Nigerian Content Act must be respected; enforced actually to favour our youths who are supposed to be engaged here in Imo.”
To buttress their case, they said their youth were not included in the company’s scholarship scheme. According to them, names of people whom the company claimed benefitted from its scholarship in 2015 from the four Asa North Cluster Board Communities were not from there. They listed the purported beneficiaries to include: Okere Jidechukwu, Opara Cassandra, Nwachuchukwu Chigozie, Innocent Chibuikem, Solomon Chinecherem and Peter Alban.
Other stakeholders in the oil bearing communities supported the claims of the Ohaji/Egbema people.
Chairman of the Oil Mineral Producing Area Landlords’ Association of Nigeria (OMPALAN), Imo State; Chief Chibunna Ubawuike, who hails from Agwa community, told Daily Sun: “There is no infrastructure in these areas, no good road, no electricity, no water, the educational facilities are zero, the school buildings are dilapidated, nobody is doing anything about it. The rural communities that are supposed to be empowered, with micro-credit for petty trading and other empowerment programmes didn’t see any.
“These are the areas our governor should look into, cleaning up the oil degraded areas, motorable roads, give them good electricity supply even if it is not 24 hours. If there is electricity, small scale enterprises will spring up and, the economy of the area and that of Imo State will spring up.”
Special Assistant to the Managing Director of Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (ISOPADEC), Damian Opara, when contacted said: “It’s true, since Shell came to our community, they’ve not done anything, no road, hospital or even electricity. My community, Mgbishi, has nothing to show for their presence.”
Recently, some aggrieved youths and women from Ohaji/Egbema LG under the aegis of Ohaji/Egbema Elites issued a two-week ultimatum to the Federal Government and oil companies in the area to restore electricity to their community or face unpalatable actions.
The angry youths threatened to shut down Federal Government projects such as the gas turbine plant and the skills acquisition programme in the area. Leader of the group, Francis Uzor, warned that oil companies in the area will not be spared.
