Orodje of Okpe Appeals for Federal Help Against Ecological Threats

The Orodje of Okpe, Gen. Felix Mujakperuo (rtd), has urgently sought the Federal Government's intervention to protect Ugbokodo, a community in Okpe Local Government Area, Delta State, from environmental devastation.

This appeal was made on a Monday in Abuja, where he led a high-powered delegation that included Senator Ed Dafinon and other palace chiefs. Ugbokodo, which hosts eight oil wells and the largest manifold in West Africa, contributes approximately 11.4% to Nigeria's annual oil revenue.

However, the community is currently battling severe ecological threats due to decades of oil exploration, leading to land degradation, gully erosion, and river overflow. The Orodje highlighted that despite submitting a formal petition for shoreline protection and land reclamation to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) on December 20, 2024, the situation has worsened.

The SGF has pledged to relay the concerns to President Bola Tinubu for high-level consideration, emphasizing the need for immediate collaboration with relevant ministries to assess the situation and develop an intervention framework.