IZOMBE: A SCARY EXPERIENCE "Addax Must Go" - Izombe Community Insists by OKIM-ALOBI OYAMA

I feel so exasperated and sympathetic at the low standard of livelihood, the people of Izombe are experiencing day after day, despite their natural endowments. Izombe is an autonomous community consisting of four other communities,  Umunwama, Obeabor, Aborsi and Ndeuloukwu and is located in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria. She is so blessed with rich natural resources like huge deposits of crude oil and four times more gas deposits than oil. As a result of the large quantities of crude oil and gas, it has attracted some multinational oil corporations like Ashland Oil who came in 1974 (now Sinopec/Addax Petroleum Development Company) and Chevron, which operates in this region.

Izombe produces about 10,000 barrels of oil daily, and her gas deposits and exploration are four times more. Addax, explores about 5000 barrels of oil daily, and Izombe stands as her only offshore facility in Nigeria.
It is so disheartening, abysmal, and ostentatiously heartbreaking, that as rich, and blessed this community is, in addition to the presence of huge multinational oil corporations, with a very conspicuous and an intimidating presence in the international market, yet the people of Izombe have absolutely nothing to show for it, they have absolutely zilch to prove they have oil, except Offcourse, the flow stations and working sites of the oil companies and very much their operations and activities in the Land which by the way draws a concern, taking into serious cognizance,  the adverse effects of their activities and the threat it poses to the ecology and biodiversity of Izombe.
I embarked on a journey to Izombe, the oil rich poverty-stricken land to visit a friend, and take a break from the hustles and bustles of Lagos, which offcourse is one of the busiest cities in the world. Imagine waking up as early as 4:30A.M. everyday and quickly getting ready to leave for work so I don't get caught up in the Lagos traffic which could drive anyone insane, and then coming home so late by 10 or 11pm? And so this was like a getaway or a mini vacation.
My experience began the moment I got to Ogbaku junction, in Imo State. I drove inside on a tarred road, and was excited especially as I noticed the high commercial activities in the land. I noticed petty traders selling stuffs like:  bread, chin chin, biscuits, and some on bikes and cars, women trying to sell their food, etc, it brought back memories of the life in Lagos. Anyways, as I progressed, I could see the bushes so green, bowing as I drove past, I saw the presence of electric cables and poles installed line by line, with bright yellow lit bulbs, signifying the presence of electricity from the nearby villages. I noticed little children playing, people walking and was so startled when I saw women, not one not two, but many riding bicycles, probably heading to their farms. It looked like a commonality, but not to me, as I was of the impression that women don't ride those big bicycles to farms, only men do, but what I'd seen had left me in awe. I was amazed at the hardworking spirit of the women in the Eastern part of Nigeria, they were so strong, active and put the needs of their families before theirs. It took me about a thirty minute drive to Izombe, and I passed several other villages, and was excited when I noticed all of them had electricity and life was bubbling for them. But then, my excitement was short-lived the moment I reached Izombe,  there was no light, so I assumed it was the normal Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) attitude of taking the light and bringing it later, but I became so worried and flabbergasted when I asked the last time they had light in Izombe and I was told "Never". I couldn't believe my ears, that there were places in Nigeria that didn't have electricity. Well that wasn't the only shocker, there were more waiting for me. At first I didn't understand their pains, or didn't even know if they had serious problems, but as I interacted with the people, as I established a rapport with the indigenes, I began to see, experience and understand just a little touch of what the People of Izombe were experiencing day by day.
I took my bath, ate and rested, I was already exhausted, but the next day, I was awoken from my sleep very early in the morning, with very psychedelic screams, like a group of warriors chanting while approaching the battlefield. I heard people scream "We no go gree o, we no go gree, Addax must go,  we no go gree", I quickly rushed out to see where the noise and chants were coming from, I was left so agape and amazed, when thousands of people had taken to the streets, all with banners and posters, with the inscriptions "ADDAX MUST GO...ADDAX MUST LEAVE IZOMBE FOREVER",  and just when I thought I could observe what was happening, my journalistic spirit urged me to quickly break this news, and so I quickly went back, picked up my camera and came out and started covering the situation, I discovered it was a peaceful but very angry demonstration. The people of Izombe were protesting against Addax Petroleum Development Company, asking them to leave their land, that they no longer want them in Izombe again, and should pick up their properties and leave Izombe.
Addax Petroleum Development Company is a multinational oil corporation which came into Izombe and started operations in 1974 as then Ashland Oil,  they produce about 5000 barrels of oil daily in Izombe aside the gas, which is four times more, their only offshore facility is in Izombe, and so I couldn't cohere or fathom out why the people would want such a huge oil firm to leave their land. Well my ignorant state and lack of decipherment was put to rest the moment I began coverage and started conducting interviews.
The people were so happy to see me, it was like finally, there is someone who has come to voice their hearts out, and air their cries, it was like, they had been living in isolation for so long, that their cries were never taken seriously, they had endured for so long that this time, when they saw me, everyone was so eager and anxious to show me all they could and tell me all they had stored in their hearts for decades; Children, women, youths, men, and Chiefs were all out, aggrieved, and was ready to spill fire and brimstone on Addax,  which they had termed their enemy as I saw one inscription from the placards they were holding which read "Who is the enemy? ADDAX, who is the exploiter of the weak? ADDAX, Who is the oppressor of the poor? ADDAX...ADDAX, WE WANT YOU NO MORE".

I could see the rage and  anger in their eyes, and hear the pain in their voices, as everyone was speaking to me, laying their grievances about the oil firm, on me at the same time, they told me how Addax Petroleum has been in their land for forty years, collecting their oil, and yet has done nothing to change their standard of living, they told me how the basic neccesities of life, such as electricity, pipe-borne water, good roads, and highly equipped schools and hospitals were seriously lacking in Izombe.
"We have been living in darkness for many years, we have no light, we have no good roads, our children cannot go to school because we can't afford their fees, our youths have all remained idle, even with those who are graduates, you need to see how we live our daily lives, it is terrible." Mrs. Christy Nkemdirim, the women leader of the community said.
I had already been circled round by the women of Izombe, who had come out in huge numbers to cry their hearts out, and lay their grievances against the oil firm. Mrs. Nkemdirim, leading a large group of very energetic, and angry women, took me to their marketplace (where they buy and sell goods and food items), she said words are not enough to prove to me how cruel Addax has been to them, and so I needed to see it for myself. I was devastated at the sight of the market, the terrain into the market is so untarred, not motorable, and all muddy. I was already feeling disgusted and irascible at the fact that I needed to walk on that muddy ground, so I could get the perfect glimpse of the market square. A vehicle took me in, but couldn't go any further and so I had to come down and walk. The villagers all accompanied me into the market square, showing me how dilapidated the market was with very appalling looking temporary structures, constructed as mini stores for each occupant and seller, I saw old rotten woods used to build the shops, I noticed the roofing sheets were so brown and worn out, punctured with a lot of holes, I saw, how some of the shops were almost collapsing because the structures were weak, old and needed an advanced renovation or total rebuilding of the market square. It was indeed a scary site.
The people took me right into the market, and even to a huge portion of the market, covered with very tall grasses, and heaps of refuse dumps, these refuse dumps were just inches away from some of the stores which some market women occupied and used to sell their farm produce, I couldn't go any further because the smell was so gross and tartful, and the route was also swampy and muddy, the oddious smell of urine and human waste filled the air, I could barely breathe because the air had been contaminated.
There, Mrs. Nkemdirim explained to me the condition they have been living in and doing business for decades. She said, that today was even a great day because it didn't rain, and hadn't rained for some time, but when it rains, the whole place gets flooded, the whole place gets so muddy, and dirty as the rainwater pushes some of the waste into the market square.
"Today is even better and a great day, when it rains, you will not be able to enter this market, because water will fill everywhere, the whole place would be muddy, and smelling, but because if we don't come here to sell, we cannot raise some money to feed our children, so we have to come, and we wear rainboots and jump into the rain to sell our items" She explained
"And Addax has been in our land for forty years, taking our oil everyday, making a lot of money from us, yet we cannot even have a befitting place to stay and sell our food items. That is why we the women, are saying Addax must go, they should leave our land, they should leave us alone, since they have refused to provide us with light, water, good roads, hospitals to treat our children, and build better equipped schools for our children, we don't want them again" The Women Leader said in rage.
Another woman who spoke to me, and identified herself as Ego Emmanuel, spoke with tears filled in her eyes, and a fervent voice, describing the situation of things in Izombe, she mentioned the absence of all the above mentioned social amenities and incentives, the women leader Mrs Christy Nkemdirim had mentioned,  but added that they had in several occasions written to Addax and tried to seek an audience with them, but the oil company paid deaf ears to them. She added how 25% of their people were blind, and a whooping 50% of her indigenes having eye defects. This was another story entirely,  she said it was indeed painful because they have been suffering from the effects of the oil operations and activities  in their land and yet were enjoying nothing from the company.

The Chiefs and youths also concurred with the women on every issue and also emphasised on the eye defects, the people of Izombe were experiencing, with the same statistics quoted, I was told three out of the four kings of Izombe had gone blind as a result of the oil exploration in their land, but I could only see two of the Kings who were blind: HRH Eze Dr. B.A.E. Nwauwa, the Obi-Ukwu of Ndeuloukwu Autonomous Community and HRH Eze Dr. Oliver A. Okorowu, the Obi of Obeabor Autonomous Community, I happened to speak with them also and they were so bitter with Addax, and one of them said he was the one who brought Addax to Izombe as Ashland Oil in 1974, and was shocked that Addax had forgotten him and his community.  The Chiefs told me to look at their roofing sheets, they had gone all brown, because of the oil activities and exploration going on in the community. Some of them took me to their houses to show me where they live and how they live, I was so disgusted and appalled at the living conditions of these people for years.
I went through some untarred roads, which was no longer news, as this was ubiquitous round the community. One of the oil landlords who had given his land to Addax Petroleum for siting their projects, took me to his house to show me how he lives, as I talk with him, I notice he is blind in the left eye, and he took me to his two bedroom bungalow, with concretes already tearing, and falling off, his zinc is brown, old, and leaks when it rains, and the wooden windows have been eaten by insects, and are already bad. Surprised why he should be living in this condition despite being a landlord to Addax by leasing his land for their projects, I am shocked beyond description, speechless beyond comprehension, and astounded as I am shown some lease agreement documents between oil landlords and Addax. I took interest in the one who received the highest payment for his land, it was the Maurice Nwoke family in Umuamaka village. He received N4,132.50k for 1653 square meters for 5yrs (1 Nov. 2008 - 31 Oct. 2013) as stated in the lease agreement I was shown, and there were some I saw as little as over one thousand Naira, (N1,000) How shocking, cruel, insolent, and exploitative could this treatment be? I just couldn't believe it.
I am taken to other houses, and one gets me so emotional because this person lived in a temporary built structure popularly known as (kharaboots), they use polytene bags, to cover their windows, and use raffia palms to roof their houses, they also sleep on muddy floors with mats on the bare ground as ventilation seems to be a problem when sleeping at night.They told me at night they are faced with two options of opening the windows and doors to get air but face mosquitoes or close the doors, and Window to prevent mosquitoes but face adverse heat due to the lack of ventilation.  They tell me how as many as five of them will sleep on the ground in one room, because they can't afford to build a decent apartment.

Another shows me her kitchen or cooking place, she says she uses firewood, and therefore built a little kitchen with merely sticks, four sticks standing in four angles and roofed with raffia palms, I see her cooking a meal in a charcoaled pot, with woods lit under to cook her food. From her kitchen, she takes me to her toilet, and the sight and smell was so harsh and dismal, as they defecate in pit toilets, or a ground dug so deep and sticks kept above, and the user gets to climb up the sticks, and squats down, facing his buttocks to the ground and then pushing out or emptying his bowels into the ground.
This seems to be the daily life of the people of Izombe, this is how wretched and poverty-stricken they are, coupled with the fact that they lack basic social amenities,  life is so tough for them, that living is a battlefield for them. The people are struggling so hard to live a life they have been coerced into, but can't change it since they look helpless, exploited, side-lined, powerless, and speechless, because they are up against oil giants who according to them have now become "tormenters, exploiters of the poor, torturers of the weak, and do not care about their wellbeing or welfare,  except oil and gas deposits"
Each day that passes by, I think about how lucky I am to live a decent life, and yet somewhere in Imo State, Izombe to be precise, they are people who can't afford a three square meal, people who live in cancerous environments, people who don't have even as little as electricity to live normal lives, they charge their phones for one hundred Naira, each time it is plugged, pay to watch television outside, and the filling stations around inflate the prices of Petroleum, since it is an essential commodity to these people, I think about the little children, who are born into this environment, who bathe and drink the water, I am told is acidic as a result of its pH level which sometimes is as low as 4.4 for rainwater, and 6.1 for borehole, I worry as I hear these words "if there is an emergency, and anyone is sick, that person dies because before he is transported to Owerri, it is already too late".

Izombe needs help, Izombe needs to be taken care of, a community as rich as Izombe shouldn't be begging for electricity, pipe-borne water, good roads, good schools and highly equipped medical centres, a community like Izombe shouldn't be threatened with eye diseases, and sicknesses, it is hightime somebody rose up to their responsibilities and salvage the people of Izombe, they need help, they are begging to live and survive. Please something needs to be done to alleviate if not totally ameliorate their problems, before these people head for extinction. The help you render today may be all Izombe need to chant a new course.