Community News
Edo Community Cries Out: Oil wells boom while we sink in mud, neglect
Written By: Editor
13 Nov 2025 10:07 AM
Ikpoba-Okha, Edo – Despite hosting two active oil wells since 2002 and watching pipelines snake through their land to Ovade in Delta State, the people of Uroho Community in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area are trapped in a cycle of anguish, abandonment, and unfulfilled promises.
A weekend visit by journalists revealed a rapidly urbanising community that lacks the most basic infrastructure: no health centre, no motorable roads, and no trace of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) from the oil well operators.
“The dry season is our only relief,” said Madam Augustina Ikponmwonsa, women’s representative, noting, “When the rains come, children stay home from school for weeks. Pregnant women give birth on mats because no vehicle can reach us. Many families have already relocated.”
The community’s only access road, which links several neighbouring villages, turns into a river of mud during the rainy season, cutting off residents from markets, hospitals, and schools.
Amb. Friday Constance Ogiesoba, a community leader, told journalists:
“It will shock you to know that there are two oil wells right here in Uroho, yet we are completely neglected. No single CSR project no borehole, no classroom, nothing.”
The Okaighele (Youth Leader), Amb. Osagie Omorogie, stressed the community’s peaceful disposition:
“We are peace-loving people. We have chosen dialogue over violence, but our patience is wearing thin. This road is strategic—it serves multiple communities. Why are we abandoned?”
The Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 explicitly mandates oil companies to establish Host Communities Development Trusts (HCDT) and contribute 3% of their operating expenditure to fund development projects in host communities.
Four years after the Act was signed, Uroho residents say they have seen none of the “sustainable prosperity” promised by the law.
Community leaders had made a direct plea to Monday Okpebholo, Executive Governor of Edo State, His Royal Majesty, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, Oba of Benin, Edo State Oil and Gas Producing Areas Development Commission (EDSOPADEC) and The operators of the Uroho oil wells.
“We are not asking for favours,” Amb. Ogiesoba declared.
“We are demanding what is rightfully ours under the PIA. Fix our road. Build a health centre. Let our children go to school every day of the term. Give us the development that the law guarantees.”, he added
As crude continues to flow from Uroho’s soil to refineries and export terminals, the people who live above the wells are left counting losses instead of benefits.
The question on every lip in Uroho remains: How many more rainy seasons must we endure before the government and oil companies remember us?
A weekend visit by journalists revealed a rapidly urbanising community that lacks the most basic infrastructure: no health centre, no motorable roads, and no trace of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) from the oil well operators.
“The dry season is our only relief,” said Madam Augustina Ikponmwonsa, women’s representative, noting, “When the rains come, children stay home from school for weeks. Pregnant women give birth on mats because no vehicle can reach us. Many families have already relocated.”
The community’s only access road, which links several neighbouring villages, turns into a river of mud during the rainy season, cutting off residents from markets, hospitals, and schools.
Amb. Friday Constance Ogiesoba, a community leader, told journalists:
“It will shock you to know that there are two oil wells right here in Uroho, yet we are completely neglected. No single CSR project no borehole, no classroom, nothing.”
The Okaighele (Youth Leader), Amb. Osagie Omorogie, stressed the community’s peaceful disposition:
“We are peace-loving people. We have chosen dialogue over violence, but our patience is wearing thin. This road is strategic—it serves multiple communities. Why are we abandoned?”
The Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 explicitly mandates oil companies to establish Host Communities Development Trusts (HCDT) and contribute 3% of their operating expenditure to fund development projects in host communities.
Four years after the Act was signed, Uroho residents say they have seen none of the “sustainable prosperity” promised by the law.
Community leaders had made a direct plea to Monday Okpebholo, Executive Governor of Edo State, His Royal Majesty, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, Oba of Benin, Edo State Oil and Gas Producing Areas Development Commission (EDSOPADEC) and The operators of the Uroho oil wells.
“We are not asking for favours,” Amb. Ogiesoba declared.
“We are demanding what is rightfully ours under the PIA. Fix our road. Build a health centre. Let our children go to school every day of the term. Give us the development that the law guarantees.”, he added
As crude continues to flow from Uroho’s soil to refineries and export terminals, the people who live above the wells are left counting losses instead of benefits.
The question on every lip in Uroho remains: How many more rainy seasons must we endure before the government and oil companies remember us?
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