By Ikuru Lizzy
KULA, Rivers State – December 16, 2025 – In a powerful display of grassroots activism, women from the Kula community in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State staged a protest on Tuesday, voicing their profound frustration over the chronic absence of electricity, potable water, and other fundamental amenities. Their demonstration highlights a stark and painful paradox: their homeland, rich in the natural resources that fuel Nigeria’s economy, remains impoverished in basic infrastructure.
The protest is not an isolated incident but the culmination of years of perceived neglect. The women articulated a central, agonizing contradiction: despite hosting extensive oil exploration activities and multinational oil companies for decades, their community has been systematically deprived of the development and social benefits promised by such industrial presence.
Speaking on behalf of the Kula women, leader Mrs. Obele Fisisi framed the protest as a last resort after years of unheeded appeals. “We are the backbone of this community, and we can no longer watch our children suffer,” she stated. “Kula has been plunged into darkness for nearly two years. This isn’t just about light; it’s about survival. The borehole facilities installed years ago are powered by electricity. No power means no working pumps, which means no clean water.”
This infrastructural collapse has triggered a public health crisis. Fisisi explained, “Our people are now exposed to cholera, typhoid, and other waterborne diseases. The economic hardship is double: we spend our meager resources treating illnesses caused by the lack of the most basic human necessity—clean water.”
Another protester, Mrs. Ini Don-Pedro, provided a visceral example of the community’s dire situation. “With the boreholes dead, we are forced to revert to the past. Many families now depend on poorly dug, open wells. This water is visibly unsafe, but we have no alternative. Furthermore, these stagnant wells have become prolific breeding grounds for mosquitoes, exacerbating malaria rates in a community already struggling with healthcare access.”
The placards carried by the women bore poignant inscriptions like “Our Oil, Our Poverty,” “Light Up Kula,” and “Water is Life, Give Us Ours,” visually underscoring their demands. Don-Pedro emphasized the urgency: “Our message is clear. We are not just complaining; we are demanding our rights. The government and the oil companies profiting from our land must immediately restore electricity and provide sustainable, clean water solutions. We need action, not more promises.”
Mrs. Purity Dabiri, a third voice in the protest, connected the lack of amenities to a broader socio-economic paralysis. “The absence of electricity makes life unbearable beyond the health implications,” she said. “Small businesses cannot operate after dark, students cannot study, and security is compromised. This neglect has strangled our local economy and dimmed the future for our youth. We are not merely existing; we are deteriorating.”
Context and Deeper Implications: The protest in Kula is a microcosm of the long-standing tensions in the Niger Delta region, where communities often bear the environmental and social costs of oil extraction without reaping the developmental rewards. The situation raises critical questions about corporate social responsibility (CSR) by oil firms and the efficacy of government intervention programs in host communities. The women’s protest shifts the narrative from high-level political discourse to the tangible, daily suffering of residents, applying moral pressure by highlighting the human cost of infrastructural failure.
The resolution of Kula’s crisis requires more than temporary fixes; it demands a committed, collaborative approach involving the state government, local government council, and the operating oil companies to implement sustainable infrastructure projects with community oversight. As these women have powerfully demonstrated, the time for such action is now.
Source: NAN (Edited by Bukola Adetoye and Azubuike Okeh)
