NDJA decries neglect of Oil Communities by NDDC, Oil Companies

DDM NEWS

NDJA decries neglect of Oil Communities by NDDC, Oil COYS

The Niger Delta Journalists Association NDJA has decried obvious neglect and underdevelopment of Oil Producing communities in Imo state by the Niger Delta Development Commission and Oil Companies.

This was contained in a Press Statement of 16th March 2025 and signed by its President and Secretary, Austin Okoro and Basil Ukwuegbu.

The statement read: “A renowned media group in Imo state, known as Niger Delta Journalists Association NDJA decries the obvious neglect, deprivation, underdevelopment in the oil producing communities in OhajiEgbema and Oguta local government areas of Imo state.

The Oil Producing Communities have suffered years of neglect and deprivation by the Oil companies and the Niger Delta Development Commission despite numerous oil wells being exploited every year since 1958.

OhajiEgbema and Oguta local government areas have the largest deposit of Oil and Gas in the whole of West Africa with nothing to show for it.

Infact, every day Sterling Global Oil Production Company extract physical trailer loads of crude oil and gas from the oil wells in OhajiEgbema and Oguta resulting in the death of many youths and damages to farm lands.

OhajiEgbema and Oguta local government areas house over seven oil companies operating presently in the areas, yet, no roads, no electricity, pipe-borne water, no employment or empowerment, no scholarship schemes etcetera.

What the areas enjoy presently is the heavy presence of security agencies like the Army, Police, DSS, Civil Defence etcetera who brutalize the youths if the dare make noise.

The oil spillages have damaged the farmlands, fishponds, lakes and rivers where food resources are extracted to feed the people leading to hunger, poverty, food scarcity and increase in crime.

The heavy presence of the oil exploration and exploitation have reduced drastically the soil capacity to yield good harvest .

The Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC has also joined the queue and instead of developing OhajiEgbema and Oguta LGAs have diverted the projects to non oil producing local government areas in Imo state because they have people who can speak for them.

Your visit to OhajiEgbema and Oguta will shock you because up till now, some communities have not seen electric poles nor electricity before thereby wallowing in darkness.

Many of OhajiEgbema and Oguta communities have no roads while others are not motorable. Some asphalted ones in the past are now badly damaged.

Schools, both primary and secondary schools are in sorry states, highly dilapidated with leaking roofs.

The rate of unemployment and poverty in the areas are so high that the youths are now running into criminal activities like yahoo yahoo, armed robbery as sources of livelihood.

It may interest you to know that our sister communities in Rivers State who have the same measure of oil and gas deposits are enjoying 24 hours electricity and employment opportunities to youths annually without application but by local content consideration.

Their roads highly asphalted and dualized with street lights. Communities streets asphalted. Secondary and university Scholarships released annually. Their Communities look like London while that of Imo state looking like bushes.

Niger Delta Journalists Association frowns at these anomalies and calls on Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC, Imo state government and Oil Companies in Imo to look into these issues raised here before it becomes too late.

The Association calls on Hon. Dr Kyrian Uchegbu, the Imo rep in NDDC to concentrate his developmental agenda in the Oil Producing communities because that is the reason he was appointed, being the son of the soil.

He should let the government know that if he fails to deliver the dividends of democracy to the oil communities, that one day he will be meant to account for it.

The association is aware that the annual budget for the development of the oil producing communities in the state is #200 billion naira which is enough to produce the desired change.

It is pertinent to note also that the underdevelopment ongoing in the oil producing communities is a time bomb ready to explode if the desired change is not met.

The association resolves that henceforth we will be using our various media houses to be speaking for our people since nobody wants to do so.

A stitch in time saves nine .

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