Group Berates FG over Coastal Erosion Ravaging  Niger Delta

. Polobubo Community protests deplorable state of  hospital

Sylvester Idowu in Warri   and Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba

The Niger Delta Patriotic Front (NDPF) has decried the federal government for failing to address the ocean surge that has ravaged over 150 coastal communities in the Niger Delta region.

The group identified the affected riverine communities as Agge in Bayelsa State, Forcados in Burutu Local Government Area, Ugborodo Federated Communities in Warri South-West Local Government Area, Orere Communities, including Ogheye Eghoroke, Ogheye Dimigun, all in Delta State, as well as Eki-tie Eki- Kporo, Awoye community, Igbokoda, Ayetoro, Ekoregho and Araromi in Ondo State, that have lost significant parts of their land to the ocean surge.

NDPF, therefore, demanded an alternative presidential candidate, ahead of the 2027 elections, saying successive military and civilian administrations abandoned the region since the country gained independence.

The President of the group, David Odeli, and Publicity Secretary, Timi Okubor, in a statement signed on behalf of the group yesterday, said that despite producing the bulk of Nigeria’s crude oil and gas, the Niger Delta continues to suffer from national exclusion and lack of proper national integration, as well as development.

They decried the lethargic and often abandoned 422.9 km Warri to Calabar (East-West Road), the Lagos-Benin- Asaba Road, Benin-Sapele-Warri Road, and the Koko-Ogheye-Lekki, Lagos Road by consecutive federal governments after decades of conceptualisation.

The group also condemned the siting of the headquarters of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) outside their operational bases in the Niger Delta.

NDPF emphasized the need for the federal government, through its interventionist agencies, relevant ministries and departments, to develop strong regional policy, in collaboration with governments of the affected states, to prevent Niger Delta coastal communities from being wiped away by sea pressure.

“The federal government must, as a matter of national urgency, ensure that all seaports in the Niger Delta work optimally. It must fast-track rehabilitation of Warri and Port-Harcourt refineries, to extricate the region from the volatility of crude oil at the international market vis-à-vis its impact on the price of refined products,” NDPF noted.

Meanwhile, the people of Polobubo (Tsekelewu) in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State have condemned the deplorable state of the general hospital in the community, demanding an urgent intervention of the state government for a total turnaround in the interest of the people of the oil-rich coastal communities which the facility was intended to service.

According to them, the entire hospital is today practically run-down and without adequate staffing and basic medical equipment, while ceilings and walls are falling.

They attributed the present saddening condition of the strategic health facility, which was built about 13 years ago by oil and gas giant, Chevron Nigeria Limited, to poor management after it was subsequently handed over to the state government.

They stressed the need for the government to go beyond occasional palliative measures to ensure that the hospital became fully functional and accessible to the concerned communities of Warri North Local Government Area.

The demand is contained in a statement signed by Dr Bright Abulu, president-general, Polobubo (Tsekelewu) Community, and Reverend Clement Doyah-Tiemo, secretary-general, Polobubo (Tsekelewu) community, issued at the weekend by the Polobubo (Tsekelewu) community in Warri.

The statement said: “We, the leadership of Polobubo community, wish to make this statement regarding the peaceful protest carried out on September 15, 2026, at Tsekelewu General Hospital by the women of the community.

They noted that the statement was meant to shed more light on the peaceful protest at the hospital early last week, involving “Community leaders, elders, women and youths of Polobubo (Tsekelewu) Federated Communities” in Warri North.

“Our demand is simple: We call on the Delta State Government for the complete rehabilitation, adequate staffing, and provision of hospital equipment and drugs to ensure the proper functioning of Polobubo (Tsekelewu) General Hospital.

“For the record, the Tsekelewu Cottage Hospital was built by Chevron Nigeria Limited in 2013 for N600 million to provide medical services to the riverine communities in Warri North Local Government Area. It was handed over to the Delta State Government in 2016 under the Delta State Contributory Healthcare Scheme,” the group said.

They said that in spite of the high expectations following the establishment of the hospital and the strategic role it was positioned to play in the state’s health sector, the Polobubo (Tsekelewu) General Hospital did not enjoy the attention it needed over the years.

“Regrettably, the facility was poorly managed and eventually abandoned by the Contributory Healthcare Scheme,” revealing that the people tried to salvage the situation through communal contributions.

“Despite the absence of any government intervention, the community leadership has made considerable efforts to sustain healthcare services at the hospital by providing solar-powered electricity, essential drugs, incentives for the few health workers, and basic medical equipment. While these interventions have offered temporary relief, they are inadequate to meet the healthcare needs of our growing population.

“On February 13, 2026, the Delta State Government took over the hospital from the Contributory Healthcare Scheme and handed it over to the Delta State Hospital Management Board following our persistent protests.

“We appreciate that step, but taking over is not enough. The hospital remains non-functional, without equipment and drugs for the doctors, nurses and other personnel to work. We need to make it fully functional,” it said.

The statement further noted that the community consists of over 34 villages with the highest voting strength in Egbema Kingdom and is host to major oil and gas companies, including Chevron Nigeria Limited at Opukeba Production Platform, NEPL/ELCREST JV at Opuama Flow Station as the operators of OML 40, Sahara Energy Services  Limited at the Tsekelewu Oil Field and Gwato.

“Despite our contribution to the federal government and revenue inflow of the Delta State Government derivation monthly revenue, we are left abandoned with no project, representation in government, and even basic healthcare is denied to our people,” he said.

Specifically, they drew attention to the current “dilapidated hospital buildings and infrastructure; staffing -two medical doctors, three nurses,s and a hospital administrator recruited and deployed to the hospital by the Delta State Hospital Management Board. They have resumed, but not sufficient; they are overwhelmed by medical cases.

“There is no supply of drugs to the hospital since the takeover by the Delta State Government; no supply of medical equipment to the hospital. The few medical personnel have no equipment to work with.

“The consequences of the government’s inaction have caused our people avoidable deaths; as sick persons, including pregnant women and old persons, have to travel on a speedboat for over three hours to access medical care in Koko, Sapele, or  Warri on the river with high waves and tidal effects.

“For the record, we have lost over 50 women and children during babies’ deliveries in Tsekelewu in 2026. We have lost over 20 elderly men and women because of lack of adequate medical care. The death rate may increase if the government refuses to act now to save the lives of our people,” they said.

Therefore, the people appealed to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State to, as a matter of urgency, give approval for the complete rehabilitation of the hospital structures, the deployment of qualified medical personnel, including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists; and facilities of the hospital with modern medical equipment and adequate drugs.