Tensions reached a boiling point in the Ogwu Ikpele community of Ogbaru Local Government Area, Anambra State, as residents staged a massive protest against the Sterling Petroleum Energy Exploration Company (SPEECO). The demonstration, which took place on Saturday, January 17, 2026, saw community members, including elders, women, and youths, block the company's operational sites, halting further oil mining activities.
A Decade of Exploitation and Empty Promises
The core grievance stems from an alleged ten-year period of neglect since SPEECO began operations in the area. Protesters carried placards and chanted songs expressing deep frustration, accusing the firm of extracting billions of dollars worth of crude oil and natural gas from their land without providing commensurate compensation or fulfilling agreed-upon corporate social responsibilities.
Speaking during the protest, the Traditional Prime Minister of Ogwu Ikpele, Chief Akaka Damian Anigboso (Odua-Ukwu of Ogwu Ikpele), painted a grim picture of deprivation. He lamented that despite the community's rich natural resource endowment, there were no tangible benefits for the people.
"Our oil is being explored and transferred to other states for refining and sales. This is ten good years SPEECO has been operating on our soil," Chief Anigboso stated. "All agreements and understandings we reached with the oil company, not one has been fulfilled. They promised scholarships for our children from primary to university level, but for ten years, nothing."
Complete Absence of Basic Amenities and Environmental Harm
The community leaders presented a damning list of unmet needs and environmental degradation directly linked to the oil exploration activities. They highlighted the total absence of fundamental infrastructure and services.
The community has no hospital, no piped-borne water, no electricity grid, and no town hall. Furthermore, the exploration has exacerbated environmental erosion, leading to the reported submersion of at least thirty residential buildings. Farmlands and water sources have also been polluted by oil spillage, severely impacting livelihoods.
Mr. Esumai Patrick Chukwudi, the President General of Ogwu Ikpele, raised additional concerns about transparency. He alleged that the company laid pipes beneath the River Niger, making it impossible for the community to monitor or account for the actual quantity of oil and gas being extracted from their land.
Community Takes a Stand, Demands Immediate Action
The protest was a coordinated action to force the company to the negotiating table. A former House of Representatives member for Ogbaru Federal Constituency, Hon. Chuchu Onyema, who participated, explained the rationale behind blocking the company's operations.
"We've made efforts to come to a real agreement with the company, but they decided to despise us," Hon. Onyema said. "We decided as a community to stop them from further work, so that they would feel obliged to reach a concrete agreement with us. We are supposed to be receiving three per cent derivation, but we receive nothing. No community member is employed by them."
The Youth President, Aghauli Chimuanya Peter, and the Woman Leader, Mrs. Onwuaghamadu Victoria, echoed these sentiments, listing specific demands including employment, road construction, portable water, electricity, and solar-powered street lights. They collectively called on Anambra State Governor, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, to intervene urgently and ensure SPEECO leaves a positive legacy of infrastructure and development in the host community it has operated in for a decade.
The protest underscores the growing unrest in Nigeria's oil-producing regions, where communities often bear the brunt of environmental damage without enjoying the economic benefits of the resources extracted from their land.
