Leaders of Izombe, an oil-bearing community in the Oguta LGA of Imo, have appealed to the federal and state governments to urgently intervene to provide basic infrastructure and improve the living conditions of the people.

Valentine Onwuka, chairman of the Izombe Central Union, Abuja branch and a patron of the union, Vitus Egwuagu, made the appeal on Sunday in Abuja.

Mr Onwuka, who lamented the underdevelopment in the community despite its status as an oil-bearing community, said the area lacked basic amenities such as good roads, schools, electricity, and other social infrastructure.

He described the level of underdevelopment in the community as unacceptable for an oil-producing area.

“As an oil-producing community, these basic necessities are not privileges; they are our rights. They are needed to improve life in the community,” he said.

He said that economic trees in the area had been destroyed by gas flaring and environmental degradation linked to oil activities, adding that there was nothing on the ground to show that oil is being produced in Izombe.

According to him, Izombe is one of the first oil-producing communities in Imo, but has not benefited from opportunities usually associated with such status, including scholarships and community development projects by oil companies.

“Oil companies are supposed to provide scholarships, both locally and overseas, for our children and support community development, but there is nothing like that in Izombe,” he explained. “The impact of crises and neglect on education in the area is so worrisome that many government schools are left with only a few teachers.”

He stressed the need for inclusive and reconciliatory leadership, warning that appointing or selecting political divisions or revenge-driven leaders would worsen the community’s plight.

“Reconciliation builds communities and nations. Hatred and resentment only destroy them. We need leaders whose focus will be unity and development, not division,” he said.

Mr Egwuagu appealed to the government at all levels to urgently address the infrastructural decay in the area, particularly the Izombe/Ogbako road.

Mr Egwuagu said the Izombe/Ogbaku road linking the communities to Owerri was constructed in 1979 by the government of Chief Sam Mbakwe and had since deteriorated due to heavy use by oil trucks.

“The community has remained peaceful over the years, yet nothing is being done for it. There is no federal institution in the town, or even in the local government area,” he said. “Izombe once served as a strategic location for oil transportation, with a river route used to evacuate crude oil, but the area has since been abandoned. We are asking the government to have a rethink and do something meaningful for Izombe.”

(NAN)