Imo Oil-producing Areas Protests Neglect, Demands Compensation

Tens of youths and women from 19 oil-producing communities in Imo State have protested against their neglect and called for compensation from exploration companies operating therein.

The protesters under the aegis of Concerned Youths of Ohaji People's Forum and Concerned Women of Ohaji People's Forum blocked major roads in the Ohaji district of OhajiEgbema local government area of the state, bearing placards with different inscriptions such as “Oil companies treat us like your landlords or get a quit notice; Enough of oil companies’ injustice” and “Develop our communities or leave our land”.

The president of the youth group, Mr Victor Amadi, said that the communities had suffered underdevelopment since oil exploration activities began in the area in 1958, adding that all efforts made by the people to seek compensation from the oil companies had yielded no positive results.

Amadi said, "The entire state and Nigeria at large, are beneficiaries of the large deposits of oil and gas in our land, yet we have no electricity, good roads, health facilities, skill acquisition centres nor employment opportunities for our teeming university graduates. We are tired of empty promises and we call on the oil companies to match their promises with action", he said.

Residents of Lafia, the Nasarawa State have decried the increasing epileptic power supply from Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) as well as the exploitative, uniform estimated billing for consumers in the state capital despite huge funding by the state government for the completion of 330KV Lafia power station.

The AEDC has for some months been billing houses in Lafia uniformly, an estimated bill (irrespective of the number of apartments or rooms in each house), at the moment they pay N16,000.

In a letter to the acting chief executive officer/chairman, Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, Abuja, the resident recounted their bitter experiences and unbecoming attitude of the AEDC office in Lafia towards their plight.

They said they waited this long before petitioning the NERC on the matter because they wanted to give AEDC Lafia the benefit of the doubt.

"We were hoping that they would rectify the situation sooner than later. However, it turned out that we were hoping against hope as the reality on ground is that the situation is getting worse.

"The reason we are channelling our grievances to you, Sir, is to plead with you to use your good offices to call AEDC Lafia to order and direct it to live up to its responsibility of providing quality service to the people of Lafia at a fair price."

It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari was in Nasarawa State to commission among others, the 330 KV Lafia power station. Before the station started operations, Lafia city was being serviced by the 33 KV line in Akwanga.

They further said just days after the President commissioned that landmark project electricity supply to Lafia reverted to what it used to be – massive load shedding cum blackouts.

"There has not been any marked improvement since then to date.