Oil producing communities in Rivers seek representation in NDDC board

Oil producing communities in Egi Clan in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Council of Rivers State, have urged the Federal Government not to neglect them in the new board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The communities regretted that despite their rich natural resources, which has contributed largely to the nation’s economy, they have been neglected over the years, suffered abject poverty, serious devastation and pollution.

President General of the Egi Peoples Assembly (EPA), Ugochukwu Orikoha, said in Port Harcourt, yesterday, that despite being host to major oil companies, they have nothing to boast about in terms of infrastructure and human capital development.

“The Federal Government has a duty to recognise and pay attention to Egi people. We must be recognised, because they cannot continue to neglect us. They must make us better than what we are now,” he said.

“The Federal Government and the NDDC should involve Egi people in any appointment, because our production quota requires that we have somebody in the new board whenever it is constituted,” Orikoha stated.

“We have so many multinational companies like Totalenergies, Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NOAC) operating here and the resources extracted from Egi land is growing the nation’s economy, yet all we suffer serious devastation and pollution.

He, however, called on the oil firms and government to join hands to develop Egi land and empower youths to help stop restiveness in the area.

Also, former Deputy National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Vincent Ake and Paramount Ruler of Erema Community, HRH Eze Azubuike Georgewill, lamented that the Niger Delta people have suffered hunger, poverty and unemployment for too long.

“Our land has been depleted due to oil exploration and most people can’t have good yield in their farms. We are not satisfied with the level of development in Egi Kingdom. If compared with the quantum of oil resources we produce, we are not satisfied,” he said.