Communities shut down flow station over road project abandoned by NDDC

Indigenes of Ovwevwe, Opherin and Saniko Communities in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, have in a protest shut down operations of an oil company operating in their domain over the continued abandonment of a road project by Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, for the past 10 years The Trumpet gathered.

The protesters, mainly aged women, and youths, barricaded the entrance of the communities and roads leading to Eriemu flow station held that the contractor handling their road project has abandoned it for over a decade.

Displaying placards with inscriptions such as, ‘Good road is our right as host communities”, “We have the biggest manifold in Africa,” “Flow Station, NGC, 52 Oil Wellhead 3, Lact Unit Campsite yet no road,” “11 kilometer road is not too small for Federal Government of Nigeria to complete.” They vowed to never give up on the protest until their agitations for good road is met.

Addressing newsmen, the President General of Ovwevwe Community, Philip Akpovukoko, said, “Since 1961, the first oil well head was discovered in Ovwevwe axis and since that time till now many oil well heads have been discovered. The biggest manifold in Africa is located in Eriemu field owned by Ovwevwe.”

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He said, “this road was awarded in 2010 to S. O. Olotu Construction company and till date it has not been completed. We are the major oil producing communities in this region. We also produce gas. We have the biggest manifold in the whole of West Africa, three large units, 52 well heads and yet we are suffering.

“The company did half of the road and left, which as is standard now has been abandoned. This road is very dear to us that is why we are out here today, to let the federal government, the state government and the entire world know what we are suffering. “