OIL & GAS WEALTH

How Ibeno Is Deprived And The Cries Of The People

Stories by Ima Nkanta

Sequent to the hues and cries of the oil and gas bearing communities over environmental degradation and the neglect of international oil companies (IOCs) in Akwa Ibom State, this writer visited Ibeno Local Government Area, together with other journalists for independent observation and interaction with the locale on the state of affairs in the place. We departed Uyo on Saturday April 5, and drove through Eket into the airy communities in Ibeno Local Government Area.

Some of the journalists on this expedition visited Ibeno for the first time – you can imagine the perspiration and excitements. Ibeno has been involved in skirmishes with Eket over land issues, which resulted in violent clashes. Thanks to the peace-loving Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, who worked tirelessly to ensure frayed nerves were assuaged and that both communities sheathed their swords of acrimony for peace to prevail.

Despite this knowledge, it was not unusual for the visiting journalists to express their anxieties; but the expectations of feeling the warmth and sighs of the people quickly drained out our ocean of fear.
We visited Mkpanek, Inua Eyet Ikot and Iwochang. Our voyage brought us face to face with the staggering neglect this oil and gas rich area has suffered for over 50 years of exploration and exploitation of their land for the black gold which accounts for more than 95 percent of the export earnings and 80 percent of the federal government revenue (Nigeria Embassy, The Netherlands, 2025).

In exchange for their God-endowed wealth exploited and carted away by international oil companies, the Ibeno people are left with environmentally ravaged scenarios, as illustrated by rusted pipe borne water with high acidic content due to high presence of zinc that makes the water undrinkable. The soil texture has oily and gaseous substances floating on the surface, which have over the years rendered their soil sterile for farming.

Some Stakeholders in Ibeno, with Archbishop Prof. Paul Hanson Ebong (middle), Apostle Barr. Isong Ukot (1st left)
during the visit of the media men to the Palace of the Paramount Ruler of Ibeno LGA

Ibeno is blessed with the abundance of aquatic life but excessive oil spills have poisoned the fish, while huge balls of flames bellowed the atmosphere from gas flaring, leaving damaged and charred roofs as relics of mindless exploitation.
The most frightening is the wild Atlantic Ocean swelling waves threatening to break bounds and eat more into the living quarters of the indigenes who are mainly fishermen by occupation.

Their thatched houses are caving in. Ibeno is in a dire need of government intervention to make life meaningful for the people.
Besides the environmental degradation, Ibeno has also suffered discrimination in the employment of her indigenes into the IOCs. Majority of the indigenes cannot access employment opportunities from ExxonMobil, now Seplat. Our findings indicated that these oil companies prefer to absorb non-indigenes into management positions, while sparse low cadre positions are availed a fragment of Ibeno indigenes.

The chairman of Ibeno Local Government Area, Hon. Glory Eka Effiong, is faced with a daunting task, as she doubles down efforts to calm frayed nerves of youths, whose only option has always been to protest these injustices. Speaking with this writer, she lamented the poor state of the environment, blaming it on the refusal of the oil companies to abide by their operational guidelines on environment.
Notwithstanding, she has made efforts to create awareness on the health issues posed by numerous oil spills on the environment.

“The oil companies have not been safeguarding the environment. What we do is to safeguard our communities from health hazards of oil pollution through health awareness campaigns, health talks and education of citizens on the hazards of the toxic substances and others,” she said.
Though several representations have been made by stakeholders to get the companies to adopt global standard practice in working with host communities, such moves have not yielded reasonable results. She said: “We’re yet to see a dramatic response or concerns of the companies and their guarantors in accepting to do a thorough clean-up and restoration of the area,” Effiong lamented.

Responding to some of the observations, an oil and gas consultant with expertise in human resources development, Dr. Victor Utong, Quality Director, City and Guilds of London Institute, blamed the poor intake of Ibeno indigenes into oil and gas operations on lack of manpower development institutions that specialise in training and equipping indigenous people for the petroleum industries.

He argued that while he was serving with Mobil Producing Nigeria, he observed that the organisation discriminated against graduates from universities in the State for lack of faculties that could prepare them with relevant skills for senior level positions in the production and engineering departments of the IOCs. He observed that some youths engaged were those directly trained and equipped with relevant skills by the Mobil Training Institute, which also admits fewer indigenes based on the institute’s quota system.

To close this gap for the oil and gas bearing communities, Dr. Utong has signed a technical agreement with global oil and gas training unit of the City and Guilds of London Institute to establish the training institute in Ibeno.
The Paramount Ruler of Ibeno Local Government Area, His Royal Majesty Owong (Prof.) Effiong Bassey Archianga, agreed to partner Dr. Utong for training of indigenes in relevant skills and competences required by the IOCs.

The royal father, who is also a former national president of Traditional Rulers of Oil Minerals Producing Communities of Nigeria (TROMPCON) reiterated his commitment to availing his people with skills, observing that, “I want all young people in this community to acquire relevant skills in oil and gas.”

A CLOSE-UP WITH THE PARAMOUNT RULER OF IBENO LGA
On Saturday 5 April, 26 community chiefs of Ibeno Local Government Area converged at the Paramount Ruler’s Palace in Mkpanek, Ibeno, over concerns on environmental injustices their communities have endured in over 50 years of oil and gas production in their environment, leaving their communities more devastated with environmental issues, ranging from regular oil spillage, destruction of their soil, deforestation and the sustained damage to the aquatic life, which is the main sustainable source of their economy.
The Paramount Ruler, Owong (Prof.) Effiong Bassey Archianga, fielded the questions on behalf of the community leaders in this interview:

The Paramount Ruler of Ibeno LGA, Owong (Prof.) Effiong Bassey Archianga, being interviewed by media men during the visit

Your Royal Majesty, how is the relationship between the oil producing communities and the oil companies, regarding the social responsibility of these companies to the communities?
HRM: Actually, Ibeno people have borne the brunt of oil producing companies silently for a long time. We don’t want to join other communities to shout or make trouble.

Our relationship with the oil companies here has been very cordial, because Ibeno people are peaceful. The outgoing Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN) is very sluggish in implementing their agreements with Ibeno communities, regarding environmental justice, and that was why we sued the company to court over oil spillage and we won the matter in court. The oil companies are not caring about the environmental justice.

Our environment has been destroyed by years of oil exploitation. The water that we are drinking has been damaged. There is enormous spillage that has affected the aquatic life. Go to Seplat (the new oil company replacing Mobil Producing) and ask them to drink water from the tap, they won’t drink it because the water is unfit for drinking. The fishes in the ocean are equally contaminated, even the greyish is contaminated in the sea by oil spillage in the ocean. The zinc of our houses are damaged by corrosion. So, life is very hard for the Ibeno communities, and the Ibeno children are not employed by these companies.

It is only President Muhammadu Buhari who came up with Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) with provision for oil communities that saved Ibeno. But for the PIA, it could have been worst for Ibeno and her people. We want the oil companies to be compensating us for oil spills, they should compensate us even when they fail to implement the agreements for environmental justice, because Ibeno environment has been damaged.

Even the school buildings are damaged, and most of the communities have no school buildings for children to learn, and most of our school age children are not in schools because of too much damage to the environment, affecting our roads and water ways.
Our communities don’t have drinkable water because of soil pollution by oil and gas operations that contaminate the underground water: how many of us can afford to drink bottled water?

Your Royal majesty, in view of these environmental injustices you have highlighted, what is the way out? HRM: There is hope if the oil companies comply with agreements for compensation to host communities for their sustained damaged to the environment. We are also collaborating with training institutions in oil and gas for our children, so that the oil companies will not have excuses for not employing our children.

We also insist the IOCs should award contracts to our indigenous contractors and offer us increased employment quota for our communities. We also want them to empower our women with grants for small scale enterprises.

Please note: the second part of this report, featuring comments by stakeholders will be published in the next issue.