Author: Abigail Asuquo

A sensational news article recently accused Sterling Global Petrochemical and Fertiliser Limited (SPFL) of running a “modern-day slave camp” in Ikot Abasi, claiming workers were forced to weld in standing water without protective gear and linking the death of a young contract worker to live electric cables. However, a week-long independent investigation, including site visits, interviews with contractors and some staff on site, and a review of company records, paints a sharply different picture—one that strongly supports SPFL’s position and raises serious questions about the motives behind the viral publication. Investigation by this reporter reveals that Uko Calistus, author of…

Two years after dramatic headlines accused Geo-Seismic Survey Limited, a contractor working for Sterling Exploration and Energy Production Company (SEEPCO), of devastating communities in Akwa Ibom State and walking away without compensation, an independent investigation provides a more measured account. While concerns remain—particularly around the slow pace of compensation—the sweeping claims of outright abandonment and widespread environmental destruction do not hold up when tested against fieldwork, community testimonies, expert assessments, and regulatory records. Initial reports suggested that seismic blasting in 2023 left residents of seventeen Local Government Areas (LGAs) with cracked homes, contaminated boreholes, ruined farmlands, and no hope of…