The people of Ogwuikpele and Ogwuaniocha Communities in Ogbaru Local Government Area (LGA) have lamented over the current hardships facing them since discovery and mining of oil and gas.
According to them, the crisis ranging from insecurity, bunkering, badging of crude oil, poor infrastructure and lack of social amenities, have not only ravaged the communities but turned them into refugees for over two years.
The communities stated this in Awka when a delegation paid a courtesy visit to the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Anambra State Solid Minerals Development Company and Anambra Petroleum and Energy Resources, Prof.Charles Ofoegbu, to seek an end to the untold hardships.
Speaking at the visit, the delegates spokesperson, Mr Olisa Onwuma, alleged that they neither benefit from the oil produced in their domains nor gain permanent employments because the oil firm in Ogbaru had failed to fulfill it promises, including corporate social responsibility towards them.
“We have no hospitals, good and functional schools and hospitals. Our roads are not motorable. Our children usually get drowned in the river while going to schools to neighbouring communities on boats. No single indigene of our communities is in the service of the company as a full time staff,” he stated.
Onwuma also lamented that the government’s intervention palliatives given out to communities affected by flood have not gotten to them for the past two years and urged governor Chukwuma Soludo’s commitment towards alleviating their plights.
Responding, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Anambra State Solid Minerals Development Company and Anambra Petroleum and Energy Resources, Prof.Charles Ofoegbu, pledged government towards bringing peace to the communities through setting up a committee to monitor oil badging and other issues.
“We also agreed that there should be a Fish Processing Plant in Ogbaru; one in Ogwuikpele and one in Ogwuaniocha, in the form of a fish farming Cooperative, where they will harvest, process, package and export fishes”, Ofoegbu added.