From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
The publisher of The Common Good Letter, Rev. David Ugolor, has called on the Delta State Government, Ethiope West Local Government Council and the Nigerian Navy to publish details of ecological fund allocations, expenditures and drainage contracts executed in the Oghara community over the past five years.
In a statement issued on September 29, 2026, Ugolor said floodwaters had entered homes, cut off streets, disrupted businesses and displaced families in Oghara, the headquarters of Ethiope West Local Government Area and an oil- and gas-producing community where Pan Ocean Oil says it began operations at the Ogharefe oil field in 1976 and operates the Ovade-Ogharefe Gas Processing Plant.
He said that despite the community’s contribution to Nigeria’s energy economy and the existence of public funds to address environmental threats, residents remained vulnerable to recurring flooding, with no clear account of how ecological funds had been utilised.
Citing available records, Ugolor said reports based on federation allocation data indicated that Delta State received about N1.4 billion in ecological fund allocations in 2021 and 2022, while a review of National Bureau of Statistics data put the state’s allocation at N667.1 million in the first half of 2024 and N411.8 million from January to May 2025.
He said the figures covered different periods and did not constitute a complete five-year account, stressing that the state government and Ethiope West Council should publish a full annual record of ecological allocations received and projects financed between 2021 and 2025 for public verification.
Ugolor said Delta State’s accounts also required reconciliation because its fourth-quarter 2024 budget performance report recorded N311.1 million under an “Ecological Fund” revenue line for the year, while a separately reported federation allocation figure for the first half of the year alone stood at N667.1 million.
He said the state should explain what each figure represented and reconcile the allocations, deductions and receipts, noting that residents could not effectively track ecological spending when the inflows themselves were unclear.
He described the state’s record on Oghara as particularly troubling, noting that the 2024 budget provided N20 million for “Flood/Erosion Control Measures at Oghara,” but the third-quarter performance report recorded zero expenditure on the project as of September 2024.
He added that the same report recorded zero expenditure against two separate N1 million provisions for desilting drains in Ogharefe and constructing a discharge route from Ajagbodudu towards the River Ethiope.
Ugolor asked the state government to clarify whether the projects were subsequently executed, how much was paid and what residents could inspect on the ground.
He recalled that in July 2025, Delta State’s Commissioner for Economic Planning reportedly said the state had invested about N17 billion in flood-prone areas during the first half of the year and described the projects as being financed through ecological funds. However, he said the reported list identified other locations without mentioning an Oghara flood-control project.
He urged the state government to publish the full list of projects, their sources of financing, contracts, payments and completion reports.
Ugolor also called on Ethiope West Council to publish its audited receipts and expenditures, noting that its reported budgets increased from about N5.50 billion in 2023 to a N7.21 billion proposal in 2024 and an approved budget of N14.6 billion in 2025.
He stressed, however, that budgets were plans and did not constitute proof of funds received or expenditures made.
He said the council should publish details of any ecological allocations it received and identify every drainage, road and emergency project delivered in Oghara, adding that political leaders could not cite large budgets as achievements while residents remained exposed to flooding.
On the role of the Nigerian Navy, Ugolor said residents had long disputed the extent of land occupied by its Logistics Command and raised concerns over the loss of farmland and ancestral ponds, while the Navy maintained that the land was ceded to it by the Delta State Government.
He said residents now alleged that lakes and low-lying areas that traditionally retained water were located within the fenced area.
Ugolor therefore 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 or reduce natural water storage.
Ugolor, who disclosed that he was among the Oghara community representatives who publicly raised concerns over the Navy land issue in 2016, said the current questions should be resolved through publicly available records, independent engineering evidence and direct engagement with affected residents.
He said that while Delta State officials inspected the flooded community in early September and spoke of relief measures and lasting solutions, Oghara now needed measurable action, including a register of affected households, safe shelter, clean water, health support, a published drainage plan and clear deadlines for the execution of works.
He called on the governor, Ethiope West Council, the Nigerian Navy and relevant federal agencies to meet publicly with community representatives and assign responsibility for each required action.
The Common Good Letter invited the Delta State Government, Ethiope West Local Government Council and the Nigerian Navy to provide written responses, supporting records and an immediate action timetable within seven days of publication, with the responses to be published in full.
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