Edo State steps in to resolve the Orogho oil wells dispute, assuring residents it will reclaim assets allegedly ceded to Delta State

The Edo State Government has taken decisive action to resolve the ongoing boundary dispute surrounding oil wells in the Orogho community, located in Orhionmwon Local Government Area.

The state is seeking to correct what it describes as the “alleged ceding” of these valuable oil-producing assets to neighbouring Delta State.

On Friday, the state’s Deputy Governor, Dennis Idahosa, led a government delegation to Orogho in a bid to engage with local stakeholders and calm growing concerns over the future of the community’s natural resources. The disputed oil wells are currently operated by Seplat Energy PLC.

In a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor, Mr Friday Aghedo, Idahosa emphasised the state’s commitment to protecting its territorial integrity and restoring benefits rightfully belonging to Edo communities.

“My visit is to douse tension and allay the fear of losing their God-given mineral resources to another state, while the community where oil exploration and production takes place is under development,” Idahosa said during a meeting with the Odionwere (village head), Pa Odiase Omorogieva, youth leaders, and residents.

Idahosa praised the community for maintaining peace despite the growing frustration over the ceding of their resources. He assured that the current administration, led by Governor Godwin Obaseki, would pursue all legal and diplomatic channels to resolve the issue with the appropriate federal and inter-state authorities.

The Deputy Governor, alongside the General Manager of Government Relations at Seplat Energy, Mrs Adiza Gambati, visited the disputed oil well sites to assess the situation firsthand. He urged residents to remain calm and law-abiding while the government takes up the matter.

Meanwhile, the community’s youth leader, Charles Eghaghe, expressed appreciation for the government’s swift intervention. He recalled that since Shell Petroleum Development Company began operating the oil wells in 1993, Edo State received royalties and benefited from corporate social responsibility programmes. However, the transition to Seplat Energy PLC, according to him, saw the payments and community development support redirected elsewhere.

Eghaghe appealed for urgent government action, pointing out the high unemployment rate among youths in the oil-rich community.

“The injustice is unbearable. Orogho has produced oil for decades, yet our youths remain unemployed while our natural wealth is being redirected,” he lamented.

The fact-finding visit included the Special Adviser on Oil and Gas to the Governor, Mr Felix Isere, and Hon Pius Alile, Deputy Chief of Staff in the Office of the Deputy Governor.

As the state intensifies efforts to reclaim the oil wells and correct any administrative oversights, all eyes will be on the response from relevant federal agencies and neighbouring Delta State, whose involvement remains central to the resolution of the dispute.