ONNE: The Teary Tale of a Host Community abandoned By Notore, NPA, OGFZA, Multinationals & Ravaged by Poverty

Situated in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers state, Onne is one of the most industrialized Nigerian towns with one of the two prominent ports for oil and gas exploration in the country and host to hundreds of companies and multinationals with an annual turnover of multi-billions of Naira to the federation’s account. It is bordered by the towns of Alode, Ebubu and Ngololo Creek all in Eleme. Onne has four clans: Agbeta, Alejor, Ekara and Ogoloma. The people of Onne speak Eleme language.



The Onne Port has several quays with facilities for cargo ships up to 60,000 gt. It is also the main base for the offshore activity in the region, and a large number of supply-vessels call at Onne every week. This section of the port is called Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone (OOGFZ) and contains several quays to cater to offshore supply vessels and a shipyard (WAS - West Atlantic Shipyard). OOGFZ also contains Shell Nigeria Exploration & Production Company (SNEPC), one of the largest bases of Shell offshore in Africa including berths leased out to Exxon Mobil, Total S.A., Chevron and many other multinational oil companies. Onne is also host to Notore Chemical Industries; one of the leading fertilizer and agro-allied companies in Africa.

Given this impressive profile, it should be safe for a stranger to conclude that the community with a population of just over 15,000 people ought to be a paradise of some sort with admirable infrastructure, basic social amenities put in place for the people by the many multinationals on the land and a litany of job opportunities for the youths and qualified. Onne, with its tag as a land flowing in milk and honey, ought and should be a key destination for those seeking greener pastures in the region. It does appear it still is for many strangers.

But a look at some youths idling away, smoking cigarettes with whisky and listening to loud music in the heat of this hot Tuesday afternoon, the Holygist berths in the community was the first indication our team needed to dump whatever Eldorado projection it had pictured of the town. Whether the pastures had withered or had been carted away, the team was not immediately certain. But the next three days of the team’s stay in Onne will unravel the narrative behind the shocking reception by an unceremonious welcome party.

“From one community leader to another, youths, residents and business operators in the town, our interactions would reveal a bitter tale of a blessed people, surrounded by wealth but rotting in poverty and neglect”.

“We are suffering so much in Onne community. Before now they used to tell us that Onne people do not go to school, that is why they deny us of job opportunities. But right now, we have over 800 graduates, many loitering about with no sustainable means of livelihood yet there are over 300 companies and multinationals in Onne. The companies have refused to employ us, but we have strangers with the same qualifications working here. Day in day out, you will see buses coming out from these companies while qualified youths of their host community are wasting away,” submitted an aggrieved Onne graduate, Ogosu Godswill, still scouting for a job, years after leaving the university.

Prince Obarinee Wai-Ogosu, a youth leader in the community told Holygist that the companies in Onne has been most unfair and has displayed bias in their treatment of youths from the community. Ogosu told our reporter that many of the multinationals embark on employment without considering Onne Youths.

“Onne people have been abandoned. What is happening here can best be described as a rape of our people. These companies are here, they make billions off our land. Many are enjoying our land even for free with the cover of the Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority (OGFZA), yet the least opportunities to engage our youths, they also shun us”.

“About 75% of Onne graduates are unemployed,” submits Kingsley Odejor a pioneer Secretary of Onne Students Forum, now a graduate.

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