Former Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mike Okiro, yesterday attributed bunkering in Egbema, his ethnic nationality, to marginalisation.
Last Friday, over 150 people were killed in an explosion at an illegal refinery at Abaezi Forest in the Ohaji-Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State.
Okiro, who is the National leader of the Oguta-Ohaji-Egbema Socio Development Initiative, expressed regret over the incident.
“We as a people strongly condemn illegal oil bunkering in its entirety but are forced to say that oil companies have not done enough for Egbema people,” he said.
The former Police Service Commission chairman spoke with reporters at the explosion scene in Abaezi Forest.
According to him, Egbema people are basically agrarian and fishermen but their rivers and farmlands had been polluted, leaving the youths with nothing to do.
Okiro, while commiserating with families of those who lost their lives in the explosion, urged the government to take drastic measures to ensure that the menace of illegal oil bunkering was brought to an end in the state.
He said: “We held a meeting on this national calamity. Egbema people are weeping. There’s no community in Egbema that is not affected.
“The 16 towns in Egbema are all affected. We lost 109 people here. There is no family or community in Egbema that’s not affected.
“We are not talking about people from other communities that are not accounted for because we did a roll call to arrive at the figure.
“We have come to visit the place as a group. We strongly condemn illegal bunkering.
“We as elders have been kicking against it a long time ago but apparently the youths have not listened to us, even though we know that the marginalisation of Egbema people by the oil companies is part of the factors fueling this.”
President of Egbema Elites and Professionals, Chris Nwakibe, a lawyer, agreed with Okiro’s marginalisation claim.
He said: “In as much we say no to this illegality, in the same vein we make bold to say our people are not happy that a place like Egbema which is the main reason why Imo State is an oil-producing community does not have a road leading to it.
“There’s no road leading to Egbema from Oguta; no road leading to Egbema from Agwa, Ibeocha and Avu. We are cut off completely from our neighbouring communities.
“The basic things that the government of the state should provide, we are not getting them. For the past 16 years, we have not had government presence in Egbema.
“The oil company here is not doing much. You can’t point at any project executed by Shell Petroleum since 1962 they came to Egbema.
“Ukwugba, the immediate host community, does not have power supply.
“Even as we condemn it (oil bunkering), the government and oil companies are the ones triggering all this illegality.”
Nwakibe, who is the President of Egbema League of Lawyers, urged the goverment to consider recognising artisanal miners.
He said: “Our people have identified a way of refining crude locally. The government should look into giving them licenses.
“You can’t be talking of shortfall of petroleum products in Nigeria when there are people that can do it.
“Why can’t government give them licenses and make it official so that they can generate revenue from it?”