Gas Exploration Injustice Against Ndokwa Nation : Why The Neglect?

Okonta Emeka Okelum, Asaba

A first timer's visit to the three local government areas where gas exploration takes place will witness first hand injustice, neglect and huge development gap.

Such gap leave the tourist asking, why the existence of clear cut gap between weekly and monthly export of wealth cum riches by the gas companies and apparent/ glaring poverty and lack on the path of the owners of the resources.

In the recent past seven to eight weeks, I was opportune to work in and out of the three Local Government Areas of Ndokwa Nation, with special attention at host communities where these gas companies are situated.

The aim of my visit to these communities was to ascertain the level of health impact of gas flaring on the host communities, social and economic issues affecting the people as a result of gas exploration in Ndokwa nation.

My engagement, relationship and closeness to the people unveiled a lot of and diverse manner of injustice the people endured, which in any normal situation, has no reason to exist or be known amongst people who nature blessed so much.

My investigation and works within Ndokwa Nation shows that if the Gas companies are not directly neglecting the people's needs, the gas firms are benefiting massively from a well plotted divided and rule schemes internally against their host community.

More worrisome discovery I took cognizance of was the horrible situation where one naturally blessed host community is for the sake of too much brotherly love or say ignorance of oil politics and zero awareness of games associated wth oil exploration lost their rights to be identified as host community to being referred to as impacted community, even when to a first timer, you don't need a diviner to tell you between both communities who should be addressed as host community.

Worst of all is that the judiciary, which is supposed to be the hope of the common man, also aided ee!wwxrobbing the community's right and title to host community.

Why under the sun the judiciary, even at the Supreme court level will rob this community their right and title to host community, is the highest level of injustice perpetuate against any host community in Ndokwa Nation.

That the Gas company, Human right groups, media and government agencies, with arms folded plus too many facets of inaction did nothing in the face of this horrible injustice.

In the interest of real peace in Ndokwa nation, it is the wise opinion of yours truly that all state and non state actors in Delta state and Nigeria should do all in their power to correct that abnormally.

More cases of injustice abound in the areas of health and well being of the people and host communities of gas exploration ventures.

Exporting out of Ndokwa Nation huge wealth/riches from their naturally and richly endowed gas resources while leaving the people with nothing, even amidst crushing man made health challenges and imposed poverty at no fault from and of the Ndokwa Nation.

Findings from scientific and industrial technological researchers have proved that any community where gas is flared suffers social, health, economical and other related problems, the case of gas exploration host ycommunities within the Ndokwa Nation is not different.

My study of the state and condition of health the people endure as a result of gas flaring in Ndokwa Nation, exposed the fact that in some host communities, their health care challenges can be best be defined as tearful experience and factual accounts of a people who needlessly suffer not because they are poor or does not naturally have what it take care of their communal health needs, but for man's inhumanity to his fellow man and to satisfy their selfish needs at the expense of the communal needs of Ndokwa Nation.

Of the four Gas exploration host communities I worked in within the three local government areas of Ndokwa Nation, the state of health care services and facilities therein, does not speak nor represent the fact that the gas companies, federal and state government agencies are sufficiently concerned about the people's deplorable health challenging conditions.

Very horrible is the case that in one of the communities I labored in saw the destruction of a government health care facility by a nearby community challenging host community title with the community where the health facility is situated and luckily is the gas company's preferred gas plant site.

The health facility ignorantly and senselessly wasted has till date for close to ten years left the supposed host community without both health facility and quality health care services, neither the gas company operating in the community nor the Delta state government are visibly prepared to remedy the situation, thereby leaving the community with the option of travelling close to 10 miles to access healthcare services, only heaven knows what becomes the people's fate in times of emergency.

In another Ndokwa community, a healthcare center was built for the community, but sited at a place that is both not the people's choice, also far from where the locals live and built along the express way, which some of my respondents said the people are too scared to send their children there for health care services, more so the increasing menace of the Fulani herdsmen and it's attendant scare monster upon the people as well as zero willingness of healthcare personnel to serve the people added more salt to the injury.

At one host community, there was zero presence of public health care facility, the people travel as far as 20 miles to access health care services.

In the last community visited, the community was lucky to have a public health care facility built for them, but the zero presence of medical personnel, dashed the people's hope of accessible & quality healthcare services.

That both the state government and gas companies in Ndokwa Nation on monthly basis make huge fortune and smiles to banks with swelling fat bank accounts but turning deaf ears and blind eyes to a people's health care question, is nothing less than one hell of man's inhumanity to his fellow being.

Thanks to Goodness, we are in the raining season, when I was chanced to see rain water in Ndokwa gas flaring communities, the rain water was a huge disaster.

To Be Continued............