emmaochuko@gmail.com
20th September, 2025
Eyara Community is one of the most backward, underdeveloped, and retrogressive in the whole of Ughievwen Kingdom. Indeed, Ughievwen itself is also proving to be the most resistant to progres and advancement among the 24 kingdoms in the Urhobo nation.
But this retrogression is not due to natural disabilities; it is man-made. In fact, Ughievwen ranks among the most privileged of Urhobo kingdoms.
Its landmass is only second in size to that of Okpe. Its 32 communities is also only second to that of the Okpe. Its population strength also puts it among the top five of Urhobo kingdoms.
Furthermore, Ughievwen is home to the largest Gas processing center in sub-Saharan Africa. The Forcados River that branches off the River Niger, is a major marine high way for commerce and transportation. It connects Ughievwen to the rest of Africa from its source, while it empties into the Atlantic.
The gaping disparity between, on the one hand, vast resources, and on the other, embarrassing underdevelopment, is due to human failures, gross abuse and wickedness.
The case with the Eyara Community is even more appalling. Eyara is located in a strategic location, along the Oginibo/Okwagbe Expressway. It is just about a kilometer from Otughievwen, the headquarters of the kingdom. Its land is not swampy or muddy - it is suitable for all manner of infrastructure, be it roads, high-rise buildings or drainages.
Eyara Community also has three viable oil wells on the OML 34 - worth billions of petro-dollars. Despite all these, Eyara remains about the most backward and stagnant of the Ughievwen communities.
One of the reasons for this situation is the gross abuse and breach of constitutional provisions guiding Eyara community.
It is worthy to note that there is a constitution guiding conduct and processes in Eyara Community. It came into force on the 10th day of December, 2005. It was led by the Hon. Barr. David Ekuetafia - now the late. The document was duly signed by major stakeholders of Eyara Community including quarter heads, elders, women and youth leaders, etc.
That constitution, comprehensive and detailed as it is, has been roundly abused by successive leadership of the community up to this moment. This present administration appears to be the worst in this regard.
For instance, there is provided in Section (8)1 that:
"There shall be held in December of every year an Annual General Conference to be attended by all citizens of the community from every part of the world ".
The Annual Conference shall function and have powers:
(a) To approve sources of revenue
(b) To approve and/or formulate development plans
(c) To elect new executive committee members at the last day of the conference after the expiration of the tenure of the executive
(d) To consider and approve the budget estimate for the following year...
It will shock any one to know that there have not been any such annual conference for at least the past five years. The question then is how have leaders been elected, and to whom are they accountable?
Some riffraffs who have hijacked the community's administrative structure and processes get themselves in a roundtable in one of the hotels around, distribute the positions among themselves, and swear themselves in as new executives. They report to no one and are accountable to no one except themselves.
It is these gangsters that have created the present problems with the Oil Company (SouthernGlow Ventures Ltd), which is now approaching a combustion point. They have misled the company to enter into "black-market agreements" with themselves in which the community has been unaware and roundly shortchanged.
All Oil Companies operating in communities are familiar with a document called (FTO) - Freedom to Operate. An FTO contains list of compromises reached through dialogue and negotiations with a host community. The signatures of both parties on the document indicate that the negotiations were reached through mutual consent.
These same Eyara Community gangsters have refused to present the FTO for the community to see, or there is not even an existing one at all. The company may have only satisfied them by stacking their private accounts with bastard wads.
These issues require probity and disinterested intervention from larger Ughievwen leadership. It is an Augean Stable that would need to be cleaned up if Eyara Community must develop!!!
_Emmanuel Ogheneochuko Arodovwe studied Philosophy at the University of Lagos_
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