By Femi Mustapha in Kaduna
The flood crisis in Oghara, the headquarters of Ethiope West Local Government Area in Delta State, has worsened, with floodwater entering homes, cutting off streets, disrupting businesses, and displacing families who are now counting their losses.
The publisher of The Common Good Letter, Rev. David Ugolor, who raised the alarm in a statement issued on September 29, 2026, said the recurring flooding has continued to expose residents of the oil- and gas-producing community to hardship, despite its contribution to Nigeria’s energy economy.
Rev. Ugolor noted that Pan Ocean Oil says its operations began at the Ogharefe oil field in 1976 and that it also operates the Ovade-Ogharefe gas processing plant, which supplies products to the Nigerian market. He added that this contribution does not replace the duties of government but makes the failure to protect residents harder to accept.
He called for an immediate emergency response for victims, including a register of affected households; safe shelter, clean water, and health support; a published drainage plan; and clear deadlines for flood-control work.
He said that although Delta officials inspected the flooded community in early September and spoke of relief and lasting solutions, what Oghara needs now is a response residents can measure, with the governor, Ethiope West Council, the Navy, and relevant federal agencies meeting publicly with community representatives to assign responsibility for each action.
Rev. Ugolor linked the persistent flooding to a lack of transparency in ecological funds and drainage projects, citing reports that Delta State received about N1.4 billion in ecological fund allocations across 2021 and 2022, with National Bureau of Statistics data putting its allocation at N667.1 million in the first half of 2024 and N411.8 million from January to May 2025.
He said the figures cover different periods and do not constitute a complete five-year account, and asked the state and Ethiope West Council. He asked for the full annual ledger of ecological allocations received and projects financed from 2021 to 2025.
He said Delta’s accounts require reconciliation, noting that its 2024 fourth-quarter budget performance report recorded N311.1 million under an ‘Ecological Fund’ revenue line for the year, while the separately reported federation allocation figure for the first half alone was N667.1 million. He added that the state should explain what each figure represents.
On specific projects for Oghara, Rev. Ugolor said the state’s 2024 budget provided N20 million for ‘Flood/Erosion Control Measures at Oghara.” Still, the third-quarter performance report recorded zero spending against that line through September 2024.
He said the same report also recorded zero spending against two separate N1 million lines for desilting drains in Ogharefe and constructing a discharge route from Ajagbodudu toward the River Ethiope. He asked the state to disclose whether the work was later carried out, what was paid, and what residents can inspect on the ground.
He recalled that in July 2025, Delta’s commissioner for economic planning reportedly said the state had invested about N17 billion in flood-prone areas during the first half of that year, describing the projects as financed through ecological funds. However, he said the reported list named other locations and did not identify an Oghara flood-control project.
He urged the state to publish the full project list, sources of financing, contracts, payments, and completion reports.
Rev. Ugolor also asked Ethiope West Council to account for its spending, noting that its reported budgets rose from about N5.50 billion in 2023 to a N7.21 billion proposal in 2024 and a N14.6 billion approved budget in 2025. He emphasized that budgets are plans, not proof of money received or spent.
He said the council should publish audited receipts and expenditures for each year, including any ecological allocation, and identify every drainage, road, and emergency project delivered in Oghara.
He further called on the Nigerian Navy to be part of the inquiry, stating that residents have long disputed the extent of land occupied by its Logistics Command and raised concerns about the loss of farmland and ancestral ponds, while the Navy sa. At the same time, land had been ceded to it by Delta State.
He said residents now allege that lakes and low-lying areas that traditionally held water are inside the fenced area, and asked the Navy to release its land and development plans and cooperate with an independent study of the entire flood catchment to determine whether fences, earthworks, or roads obstruct drainage.
Rev. Ugolor disclosed that he was among the Oghara community representatives who publicly raised the Navy land issue in 2016, stressing that current flood questions must be settled through publicly available records, independent engineering evidence, and direct engagement with affected residents.
He concluded that Oghara has helped generate national wealth and that its people should not be left to bear the cost of flooding while ecological funds and promised work remain difficult to trace. He invited the Delta State Government, Ethiope West Council, and the Navy to provide written responses, supporting records, and an immediate action timetable within seven days for full publication.
