The Afam Ukwu Community in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State says for its relationship with the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to improve beyond mere rhetoric's there must be a change of heart on the part of the multi-national oil company.
To this effect, the people of Afam Ukwu, a community blessed with four gas wells and two oil wells producing about 15,000 barrels per day want the SPDC to revisit its Memorandum of Understanding (Mou) with a view to living up to its corporate social responsibilities to the community.
This is against the backdrop of total lack of social amenities and other good things of life in the area.
As host of the gas well that powers the famous Afam power plant, Afam Ukwu community is supposed to be appreciated by both government and the SPDC by providing the community with good drinking water, good roads, schools, hospitals etc but all these are said to be lacking with the exception of electricity.
According to the spokesman to the community, Chief Godfrey Akayanta while addressing newsmen recently, the gas wells were discovered in Afam Ukwu in 1956 shortly after that of Oloibiri in Bayelsa State but unlike other oil and gas communities, their community has nothing to show for this feat.
While conducting a peaceful demonstration in the community recently to express their anger over their parlous condition, the youth president in the community, Stanley Worlu and secretary, Precious Nwagboso respectively pointed to the abandoned garri processing factory in the community by the SPDC for decades now.
In the light of this predicament, the Afam Ukwu Community wants from the SPDC as follows: Review of the Mou, Employment for the youths, Construction of Egberu road, Provisions of hospitals, schools, (primary and secondary), Skills Acquisition Centres as well as scholarship schemes to her sons and daughters.
They enjoined the state and federal governments to prevail on the Dutch Oil giant to live up to its social responsibility to the community forthwith.
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