Indigenes of Umuapu, Ihie, Obitti, Awarra, Ochia, Assa and Obile communities of Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State, have appealed to NNPC/Government and Oil Companies operating at their area to quickly reconstruct the Oil Access Road that links these communities and others.
The people said the prompt reconstruction/overhauling of the said road would ease traffic tension, reduce minimally road accident, encourage commercial activities, as well as strengthen social comfort and security at the region.
They made the appeal when the women of Umuapu community staged a peaceful protest on the Oil Access Road recently.
The protesters wore black clothes, carried placards which had different inscriptions, chanted as they demonstrated.
Speaking through one of their leaders, Nwada Ruth Amadi, the women urged the NNPC/Government and the Oil Companies operating in their region to quickly reconstruct the link road in order to reduce suffering, agony, avert danger and spur the locals to enhance productivity and comfort.
Amadi regretted that the road has been deplorable over the years with NNPC, Government and Oil Companies such as Waltersmith Petroleum, Seplat Petroleum, Sterling Global Petroleum among others, doing nothing to reconstruct the link road.
They pointed out that lives have been lost, just as many sustained severe degrees of injuries due to the bad state of the said road, stating that authorities concerned should liaise with the people including leadership of the church and the civil society for a way forward.
“We regret the negligence and maltreatment we get from NNPC/Government and Oil Companies milling oil in our land. Despite the huge revenue being generated and carted away by these oil companies whose vehicles cause huge damage on the road, those concerned keep dead mute towards the reconstruction of the road, leaving us and other ordinary road users to suffer adversely.
“Hence, we, the women of Umuapu community, Ohaji, deemed it right to stage a peaceful protest on the spoilt road, to appeal to authorities concerned to immediately reconstruct the road to save us from suffering, pains and imminent danger. We expect these authorities to be proactive, not reactive.
“We cannot continue to fold our hands and suffer. The NNPC/Government and the Oil Companies have never hugely done things that benefit the entire Ohaji enclave. Rather they allow some leaders of the area to mislead them by syphoning, diverting, misappropriating finances of the people”, they decried.
