EGBEMA COMMUNITY PROTEST POOR ELECTRICITY SUPPLY AND ABANDONMENT OF POWER PROJECT IN THE AREA
The people of Egbema Community in Ohaji Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State have appealed to the Federal Government to fulfill its promise of completing a gas power plant project sited in the area.
Addressing journalists during a protest match to the site, a leader in the area, Prince Francis Uzor, expressed regret that the project, which was initiated in 2001 had been abandoned by successive administrations.
He said despite the assurances given to the people by Vice President Yemi Osibanjo during his tour of oil bearing communities about two years, work was yet to resume at the project site.
Prince Uzor also expressed unhappiness that socio-economic activities had been hampered in the oil rich community due to poor electricity supply and called on the Federal Government to come to their rescue.
“If you go to other states where similar projects were awarded, some of them had started using their own; power is supposed to reduce insecurity, restiveness and unemployment and these have been hindering progress of my people”.
A youth from the community, Mr. Chimaroke Adimachukwu, and a woman leader, Mrs. Elizabeth Opara, appealed for urgent intervention of both the federal and state governments to avert what they described as imminent restiveness among youths.
According to Mr. Adimachukwu, “this place is the highest gas producing area in the whole of Africa and there is no light. We have seven oil companies in the area: what is happening, no road, no human capital development, why would we not be restive.”
In her own reaction, Mrs. Opara queried: “how can you empower somebody whom you sent for welding training without light; who is deceiving who? We say enough is enough; it is either they come within two weeks or the women of Ohaji Egbema we will match to Abuja and we will naked (sic) ourselves there.”
They also lamented the abandonment of a skill acquisition centre and river bridge undertaken in the area by the Federal Government.
Effort to gain access to the power plant site yielded no result as the gate was under lock.
Our Correspondent reports that the agitation for power is coming at a time when peace was gradually returning to many communities of Ohaji Egbema Local Government Area after years of crisis that forced many to vacate their homes.
CHINAZO ILECHUKWU