Save Ndokwa Nation Group Demands Review of Oil Allocation
OBIARUKU/Nigeria: The Ndokwa Nation, a region rich in natural resources and a key contributor to Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, has called for a crucial review of the oil quantum allocated to its people. Despite the vast wealth extracted from their lands, the Ndokwa community continues to face environmental degradation, poverty, and underdevelopment, while the benefits of their resources flow elsewhere.
In a statement, the Save Ndokwa Nation Group (SNNG), led by its National Coordinator, Mr Marcus Enudi, urged the federal government to address the glaring disparity between Ndokwa’s contributions to the oil economy and the minimal returns received by the community.
Enudi emphasised that while Ndokwa has borne the brunt of oil extraction—including devastated farmlands, polluted waterways, and severe health impacts—the region receives an unjustly low share of the oil resources.
“This injustice has fuelled frustration and a growing sense of neglect among the people,” Enudi remarked. He asserted that the call for a review is not just about economic justice, but about ensuring that principles of fairness prevail.
He further highlighted that a reassessment of the oil quantum would help address long-standing developmental challenges in key areas such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
“The environmental impact on Ndokwa land has been severe. Communities have lost access to clean water and fertile land. A review is essential not just for economic reasons, but for the well-being and future of the Ndokwa people,” he stated.
While the local communities have shown remarkable patience, concerns are mounting over the long-term consequences of the current arrangement. The fear of social unrest looms large if the government and oil companies fail to act. Though Ndokwa has remained peaceful, the persistence of injustice threatens to destabilise this fragile calm.
Efforts to rectify this situation have been ongoing for years. Groups such as the Ndokwa Oil and Gas Stakeholders Forum (NOGSF) and international organisations, including Friends of the Earth Nigeria and Environmental Rights Action, have been vocal in advocating for a review of the oil quantum. However, bureaucratic inertia and a lack of political will have hindered meaningful progress.
The SNNG is now calling on government bodies such as the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) to expedite the review process. They also appeal to the National Assembly’s Committees on Petroleum to take immediate, decisive action.
The group insists that the review must be conducted transparently and inclusively, ensuring that the voices of Ndokwa’s people are heard. Local leaders, traditional rulers, and stakeholders are being urged to unite in this cause, as it represents not only an economic issue but the future well-being of the Ndokwa nation.
“We also call on the international community to recognise that this is not just about oil revenues. This is about the survival of a people and the preservation of their environment,” Enudi added.
The SNNG contends that the appeal for a review of the oil allocation to Ndokwa is long overdue. For too long, the region has been sidelined in national discussions on resource sharing, and the time has come to correct this imbalance. Only by doing so, the group argues, can the government ensure lasting peace, stability, and sustainable development for the people of Ndokwa.
