Indigenes of Ogwu Ikpele community in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State have staged a protest against the operations of Sterling Petroleum Energy Exploration Company (SPEECO), accusing the firm of environmental degradation and neglect of host community responsibilities.
The protesters chose the 10th anniversary of SPEECO’s operations in the community to draw attention to what they described as a decade of suffering, deprivation and unfulfilled agreements.
The two-day protest, held on Friday and Saturday, saw youths, women, children and elderly residents march through the community with placards, lamenting the absence of basic amenities such as tarred roads, healthcare facilities, electricity and potable water.
Community leaders, including the President General, traditional prime minister and other stakeholders, declared that Ogwu Ikpele would no longer tolerate SPEECO’s activities without tangible benefits to the host community.
President General of the community, Mr. Esumai Patrick Chukwudi, said the protest was a response to years of frustration over what he described as SPEECO’s failure to honour agreements and its lack of corporate social responsibility.
“The reason for this protest is to mark 10 years of rejection, humiliation and neglect. They have been mining oil in our land with nothing to show for it—no employment, no roads, no water, no hospital,” Esumai said.
He added that the community shut down all oil wells a day before the protest, forcing the company’s management to seek dialogue.
“There is no metering to determine the quantity of oil taken from our land, which violates the Petroleum Industry Act. We also agreed on a 60/40 employment ratio for our youths, yet not a single Anambra indigene is employed,” he said.
Traditional Prime Minister of Ogwu Ikpele Kingdom, Chief Akaka Damian Anigboso, lamented that agreements signed with SPEECO had not been implemented after a decade of operations.
“They promised scholarships from primary school to postgraduate level, but nothing has been done. There is no hospital, no electricity, no pipe-borne water. We have appealed to governments at different levels, but our cries were ignored,” he said.
Former member of the House of Representatives from the area, Hon. Chuchu Onyema, described the protest as a peaceful call for justice and accountability.
“What the people are doing today is celebrating regret and degradation. We are entitled to three per cent of what is metered under the Petroleum Industry Act, but there is nothing to show for it,” Onyema said.
He added that most development projects in the community were attracted through government efforts rather than the oil company.
Efforts to obtain SPEECO’s reaction were unsuccessful, as company representatives declined to comment, stating that an official response would be issued later by its public relations officer.
David-Chyddy Eleke
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