Shell Neglects Shell Road In Oyigbo L.G. A

If everyone in Nigeria carries his or her duty as expected without an iota of biasness, there wouldn't be any room for rancour, bickering and tinkering. The residents of Shell Road in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State carried what they described as a “door-to-door” protest on 9th December 2008 over the neglect of Shell Petroleum Development Company's (SPDC) of the road it uses to the oil well at the extreme of the Shell Road that was named after the SPDC.

Shell Road is a notable road in Oyigbo. And it habours different kind of edifices, including the 'famous' Winners Chapel. This Church is located at the extreme of the Shell Road . At the entrance of the Shell Road is a government owned yet-to-be-finished hospital being built by the Oyigbo L.G.A-led by the indomitable Sir Precious Oforji.

While Offorji is bent on making sure that all the roads in Oyigbo L.G.A under the management of the L.G.A are built, SPDC proves to be rudely dogged in the maintenance of roads under its management, like the Shell Road . This negligence by the SPDC is causing unprintable peril to the residents of the Shell Road , as their businesses and comfort are stalled due to flood, when it was raining.

Asked when the Shell Road was abandoned by SPDC to its ugly state now, Chief Eugene Abanobi, who claims to be the chairman of the residents in the area, would say it was since 1999. Another Chief in the area, Chief Cliff Unachukwu, who speaks impeccable English language than others recalled that the SPDC wasn't kind with the residents in the area. He said that there was an incidence of fire outburst occasioned by the SPDC's exploded oil pipe few years back which left many of its victims in a debilitated state of health without the SPDC fulfilling its promise of taking responsibility of the victims.

As at the time of this report, there was work going on by SPDC in the oil well in the Shell Road . While the residents gathered in their peace protest calling on the SPDC to reconstruct the Shell Road , Chief Unachukwu expressed disappointment that the SPDC which hallmark is SAFETY FIRST has allowed the residents to live an unsafe life, by the single act of allowing them swim the flood that has covered the entire Shell Road .

He buttressed his expressions that the residents are not demanding any school, any market to be built for them in the area for now but just simple the reconstruction of the Shell Road which is the only road in the area and the SPDC makes use of this road virtually on a daily basis.

Chief Unachukwu further recalled that the SPDC few years ago came to the road and poured gravels which were washed away by rain as soon as they were poured on the road. “Today, we hardly pullout our vehicles from our homes due to the bad nature of the Shell Road, we bail water from our houses anytime it was raining due to there's no drainage on this road. I think it is our fundamental rights to enjoy good living since we are living in a street named after the SPDC. We regret that the street is not under the management of the Oyigbo L.G.A. If not, Sir Precious Offorji would have reconstructed it as he is doing in other places of the L.G.A.” Chief Unachukwu concluded.

Odimegwu Onwumere is the Founder of Poet Against Child Abuse (PACA), Rivers State