From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
The former Inspector-General of Police and Chairman of Police Service Commission, Mike Mbama Okiro, has said that the marginalization of the oil-producing communities in Ohaji – Egbema council area of Imo is fuelling the illegal refineries bunkering in the area.
Recall that over 100 persons were roasted by fire following an explosion in an illegal refinery in Abaezi forest in Egbema in Ohaji/Egbema council area of the state three weeks ago.
Okiro, who is the National leader of the Oguta-Ohaji-Egbema Socio Development Initiative, while expressing regrets over the incident said: “We as a people strongly condemn illegal oil bunkering in its entirety but was fast to say that oil company have not done enough for Egbema people.”
The former police chief stated this while addressing newsmen on Monday during his visit to the explosion scene at Abaezi Forest.
He noted that Egbema people are basically agrarians and fishermen but today their rivers and farmlands are polluted so the youths have nothing to do.
Okiro, who commiserated with families of those who lost their lives in the explosion, urged the government to take drastic measures and ensure that the menace of illegal oil bunkering was brought to an end in the state.
“We held a meeting on this national calamity. Egbema people are weeping. There’s no community in Egbema that is not affected,” he said.
“The 16 towns in Egbema are all affected. We lost 109 people here. There is no family or community in Egbema that’s not affected. we are not talking about people from other communities that are not accounted for because we did a roll call to arrive at the figure.
“We have come to visit the place as a group. We strongly condemn illegal bunkering. We as elders have been kicking against it longtime ago but apparently, the youths have not listened to us, even though we know that the marginalization of Egbema people by the Oil companies is part of the factors fuelling this.”
Also, the President of Egbema Elites and Professionals and President of Egbema League of Lawyers, Chris Nwakibe, said “we make bold to say our people are not happy that a place like Egbema which is the main reason why Imo State is an oil-producing community does not have a road leading to it. There’s no road leading to Egbema from Oguta, no road leading to Egbema from Agwa, Ibeocha and Avu. We are cut off completely from our neighbouring communities.
“The basic things that the government of the state should provide, we are not getting it. For the past 16 years, we have not had a government present in Egbema. The oil company here are not doing much, you can’t point at any project executed by Shell Petroleum since 1962 they came to Egbema. Even Ukwugba the immediate host community could not have light. Even as we condemn it that the government and oil companies are the ones triggering all this illegality.
“Our people have identify a way of refining crude locally, the government should look into giving them licenses. You can’t be talking of shortfall of petroleum product in Nigeria when there are people that can do it, why can’t government give them licenses, make it official so that generate revenue from it.”