Mkpat Enin and Eastern Obolo people have berated Sterling Oil Exploration & Energy Production Company Limited for destroying the only access road to their communities. They described the company as an entity without good corporate culture.
The road which cut across Ikot Akpaden in Mkpat Enin local government area, Okoroete, Okorombakho and Iko Town in Eastern Obolo local government area, is rippled because of the heavy duty trucks of Sterling Oil plying the road.
Some community leaders of the affected villages who spoke with The Crest on condition of anonymity for fear of being attacked by youths whom they said have been bought over by the company, said they were not happy that their only access road has been rendered impassable.
One of the community leaders in Okorombakho, explained that their people who own cars can no longer drive through the road.
“How can an oil company of such magnitude behave beggarly. Every dry season what the company does is to pour dust over the road in the name of repairing it.
“We feel the best thing the company should have done before starting its operations should have been to construct a new road that could withstand pressure from their heavy duty trucks. They rather resorted to using our road which was not constructed for such vehicles.
“Government should intervene otherwise we may begin another set of protest.”
A student of Akwa Ibom State University by name Emmanuel Ikoidem described the company as “callous”.
The student said several times students on motorcycle have been pushed into bush by heavy duty trucks.
“Imagine a well-dressed student coming out clean to school only to be covered with dust. I am surprised that the company has not thought it wise to even pour water on the road to reduce the level of dust on people.
“This is wickedness and height of insensitivity on the plights of people living within the road axis.” He said.
Reacting to the issue, a former to youth president of Okoroete and former Chairman, Forum of Village Youth President in Eastern Obolo, Sam Dede exonerated the company of any wrong doing.
He recalled that in 2021, youths had protested on the issue, he added that when Sterling Oil tried fixing the road, the Ministry of Works did not allow.
He alleged that the ministry actually wanted the company to award the road contract for them.
Dede explained that since the state government has awarded contract for the construction of the road, this he said, may have given the Sterling Oil the leeway to relax in fixing the road this year.
“The road has been a very big problem for Eastern Obolo people for very long time now. It got worsen when the company came in. I can still remember I was the Youth President of Okoroete and chairman of Forum of Village Youth Presidents in the local government area.
“The road became a very big problem. We tried getting the company fix the road and it resulted in protest. But we discovered the company was having issues in getting approval from the state government. I can also remember a culvert that collapsed, the company mobilised contractor to fix it but Akwa Ibom state Ministry of Works came and the company had to pull out. It was the ministry that fixed the culvert.
“ The company wanted the road fixed by them but Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Works wanted the company to award the contract to them. The Ministry made the company understand that it is a state road and they cannot do it without their consent. We had a meeting on the issue at the local government headquarters in Okoroete. The meeting was presided over by then Vice Chairman who represented the chairman. Since the road was already blocked, the local government chairman had to stand in for the road to be fixed. He signed on behalf of the state government and after that the company started working on the road. This happened in 2021.
“The road was not built for heavy duty trucks and nobody saw it coming. Each time the road is repaired to asphalt level, once rainy season comes the road would peel off.” The former youth President said.
Despite many allegations level against Sterling Oil, Dede still rated the company high compared to other companies like ExxonMobil and other IOCs.
