By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukeu
Leaders of the Ugborodo community in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State have issued a seven-day ultimatum to international oil companies (IOCs) and key regulatory agencies, warning that oil operations within their territory will be shut down if their demands are not met.
The ultimatum was delivered on Wednesday during a joint press conference held at Ode-Ugborodo, the community’s headquarters. The event was convened by the Ugborodo Community Management Committee (UCMC), the Ikpere Alemeje Women Traders Association, and the Ugborodo Community Youth Development Body (UCYDB).
Speaking at the briefing, UCMC Chairman, Emmanuel Onuwaje, said the community had endured over five decades of neglect despite its central role in Nigeria’s oil production. He accused oil companies of failing to provide employment and meaningful development to the people.
Onuwaje cited the ongoing Chevron staff recruitment exercise, alleging that while applicants from other parts of Nigeria had been considered, not a single qualified indigene of Ugborodo or Itsekiri from nearby communities had been employed. He described the situation as “most unacceptable.”
The leaders also demanded the urgent implementation of a report by the National Boundary Commission (NBC) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), which delineates host communities within a 500-meter coastal buffer zone. They accused NUPRC of unnecessary delay in enforcing the report.
Beyond employment and regulatory concerns, the community raised alarm over ocean surges gradually eroding their settlements. They called for immediate construction of a world-class shoreline protection system to prevent further damage.
In their joint statement, the leaders condemned attempts by a rival faction to form a “Governing Council of Ugborodo Community Trust,” describing it as a “dead-on-arrival” move by persons they labelled as “self-exilees.”
The statement, signed by leaders of the UCMC, UCYDB, and the Women Traders Association, warned that community leaders could no longer restrain the growing anger of their people. “Our patience cannot remain indefinite,” it read.
Concluding, the leaders declared that failure of the oil companies and regulators to act within seven days would leave them with no option but to completely halt oil operations in Ugborodo territory.