…Appeals to Governor Okpebholo, Oba Ewuare II for Urgent Intervention
Our reporter
Despite hosting two active oil wells since 2002, Uroho community in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State is living in abject neglect, as residents decry years of abandonment by both government and oil operators.
During a recent visit by journalists, Uroho presented a grim picture of deprivation, no motorable roads, no health centre, and worsening flooding that traps residents indoors whenever it rains. The situation, they say, starkly contrasts with the promises of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, which was designed to guarantee tangible development and prosperity for oil-producing communities across Nigeria.
The community leaders, led by the Okaighele (Youths’ Head), Ambassador Osagie Omorogie, expressed deep frustration that, despite the wealth drawn from their soil, Uroho has been left to rot. “It will surprise you to know that there are two oil wells here in Uroho, yet we are neglected and abandoned. There is no Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of any sort,” Omorogie lamented.
He appealed to Governor Monday Okpebholo, the Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Ewuare II, CFR, and the Edo State Oil and Gas Producing Areas Development Commission (EDSOPADEC) to urgently come to their rescue.
Echoing his concerns, community leader Amb. Friday Constance Ogiesoba noted that the road linking Uroho to several neighbouring communities had become impassable, forcing many residents to relocate. “Whenever it rains, people can’t access their homes. Flooding takes over the roads. We feel forgotten,” he said.
The representative of Uroho women, Madam Augustina Ikponmwonsa, added that children are the worst affected. “When it rains, pupils stay home for days because the road becomes a river. Families are moving out. We are suffering,” she lamented.
The community leaders urged authorities to enforce the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, which mandates oil companies to contribute to a Host Communities Development Trust (HCDT) for the direct benefit of host communities.
The PIA, passed to replace decades of inequity in Nigeria’s oil sector, stipulates that a percentage of operators’ profits must go into community development projects, including roads, healthcare, and education — the very amenities Uroho desperately lacks.
Analysts say that if properly implemented, the Act would end decades of exploitation and deprivation in oil-rich but impoverished host communities like Uroho, ensuring they finally reap the dividends of the resources beneath their feet.
For now, however, Uroho remains a painful example of what happens when the promises of reform remain on paper.
“We are peaceful people,” Amb. Omorogie said. “All we ask is that the government and oil operators do what the law already says — bring development to Uroho.”
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