By Ozioruva Aliu

BENIN CITY — The oil-producing Gelegele community in Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government, Edo State Government, and oil companies operating in the area to end gas flaring and unveil a concrete plan for the community’s development — or face a total shutdown of oil operations and other activities.

The ultimatum was delivered during a protest staged by residents, who carried placards with inscriptions such as: “No road to Gelegele,” “Our secondary school is dilapidated,” “Tantita come to our aid,” “There is no NDDC project in Gelegele,” and “Say no to gas flaring in Gelegele.”

The demonstrators marched from the Gelegele Town Hall to their ancestral home, where they offered prayers before proceeding to the operational site of Dubri Oil Company Limited, accused of flaring gas in the community since 1963.

Chairman of the Gelegele Executive Council, Mr. Omaghomi Olu-Derimon, decried what he described as decades of environmental degradation and government abandonment, noting that over 300 communities in the region remain cut off due to lack of road infrastructure.

“The Gelegele story is a pathetic one. As you can see, we are standing behind a gas flare that has been burning for 63 years. Neither the federal nor state governments have paid any attention to our pain,” he said.

He lamented the absence of basic health care, claiming the community has lost over 500 lives due to inadequate medical facilities, while the only secondary school in the area is in a dilapidated state, lacking both chairs and teachers.

Olu-Derimon questioned the community’s exclusion from Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) projects, despite its status as an oil-producing area and host to the first indigenous oil company in Nigeria.

“We have no representatives in the Edo State House of Assembly or Executive Council. Our ecosystem has been ravaged by oil exploration since 1963, and yet we have nothing to show for it,” he said.

He warned that if their demands were not addressed within 14 days, the community would shut down all oil operations between Gelegele and the Gelegele Forest Reserve.

“We can no longer tolerate this marginalization. While other areas see development, we who suffer the impact of oil extraction have nothing,” he concluded.

Efforts to reach the Edo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Hon. Paul Ohonbamu, were unsuccessful as he did not respond to multiple calls. However, a senior aide to the governor, speaking anonymously, noted:

“Gas flaring is a federal issue, but I’m confident Governor Okpebholo will raise it with the relevant authorities. He is passionate about the people. As for development, no part of the state will be left out — they should be patient, they will be reached.”