By Solomon OKPO, Uyo.
Residents of Unyenge, a riverine oil-producing community in Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, on Monday staged a peaceful protest against what they described as years of neglect and marginalisation by oil and gas companies operating in the area, following the collapse of a critical bridge linking the community to neighbouring settlements.
The demonstrators, made up of youths, women and community leaders, gathered at the riverbank carrying placards with inscriptions such as “No Bridge, No Work,” “We Demand Employment of Our Youths,” and “No Road, No Work.” They called on Savannah Energy Nigeria Limited and other firms operating in the area, including Tulcan Energy Resources Limited, Shimao and Jeosco, to urgently address their grievances, which include the reconstruction of the collapsed bridge, improved infrastructure, employment opportunities and social amenities.
The Evangelist gathered that the bridge, which served as the only major access route to the community, collapsed on October 15, 2025, after a truck conveying heavy equipment for one of the companies reportedly passed over it. Since then, residents said economic and social activities, including fishing and maritime businesses, have been severely disrupted, forcing commuters to rely on boats and pay about ₦1,500 to cross the river.
Speaking on behalf of the Unyenge group of villages, Chief Godwin Matthew alleged that despite operating in the community for over 17 years, Savannah Energy had failed to provide basic infrastructure or fulfil its promise to reconstruct the bridge. According to him, repeated appeals and correspondences to the company have yielded no meaningful response.
“For over 17 years since Savannah Energy commenced operations in our community, there is still no access road. We have consistently pleaded with the company to address our concerns, including the collapsed bridge, but all our efforts have proved futile. Our youths have worked for the company, yet none has been confirmed as permanent staff. There is no hospital, no pipe-borne water, and we will continue this peaceful protest until our concerns receive the attention they deserve,” he said.
Chief Matthew further alleged that although the company had promised to rebuild the bridge by December last year, the commitment had not been honoured. He also claimed that while company personnel now access their operational base through an alternative route via Esit Eket and Ibeno using a pontoon, community members are not allowed to use the facility.
Also addressing the protesters, President of the community youths, Mr. Joseph Timothy, accused the companies of neglecting the host community in critical areas, including road infrastructure, employment opportunities, workers’ welfare and the reconstruction of the collapsed bridge. He insisted that the grievances must be resolved without further delay.
The Women’s Leader, Mrs. Nkoyo Etim, expressed concern over what she described as the companies’ failure to provide essential social amenities and meaningful employment opportunities for women and youths. She further alleged that gas flaring and oil pollution had negatively impacted residents’ health, contaminated water sources and reduced agricultural productivity.
“We are here to condemn what we consider the unfair treatment of Unyenge by these companies. We have no hospital, potable water, good roads or functional market. Residents are battling respiratory illnesses, while oil pollution has affected our drinking water and farmlands. Since the bridge collapsed, movement has become difficult and costly because people now have to pay to cross the river by boat,” she said.
Mrs. Etim also alleged that women in the community had been excluded from employment and contract opportunities, noting that those previously engaged in vegetation-clearing around the companies’ operational camp had since lost their jobs.
As of the time of filing this report, the Community Manager of Savannah Energy, Lady Arit Bassey, had not responded to telephone calls and text messages seeking the company’s reaction to the allegations.
© The Evangelist News
