A peaceful protest was staged by varieties of women from Kula, a coastal community in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State over the prolonged lack of potable water and electricity in the area.
The women, who marched to the community jetty and security checkpoints carrying placards with various inscriptions, said Kula has been without electricity and public water supply for more than two years.
Read also: LCCI, NLNG Call For More Efforts In Finding Solutions To Crippling Power Challenges In Nigeria
They lamented that the absence of power has worsened water scarcity, forcing residents to rely on unsafe sources for daily use.
According to the protesters, the situation is particularly distressing given that Kula hosts critical national assets and several oil installations operated by major oil companies.
Despite this, they said the community continues to suffer neglect and deprivation, with residents denied access to basic social amenities.
The women said the lack of electricity and clean water has negatively affected public health, economic activities and overall wellbeing. They explained that small-scale businesses have collapsed due to the high cost of operating generators, while many families now depend on contaminated, reptile-infested wells for drinking and household needs.
One of the protesters, identified as Ibitonye, said the living conditions in the community had become unbearable. She appealed to the Federal Government to intervene, noting that waterborne diseases and malaria had become widespread due to the poor environment and unsafe water sources.
“If you see the kind of wells we drink from, you will feel sorry for us,” she said. “We live among oil wells, yet we suffer like this. Malaria and cholera are threatening our lives.”
The protesters sent a save-our-soul appeal to Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, the chairman of Akuku-Toru Local Government Council, the Federal Government, and oil companies operating in the area, including Renaissance and Bella Oil, urging them to urgently restore electricity and water supply.
They said restoring power would ease their hardship and improve access to clean water in the riverine community.
