“Our Water is Poison, Our Land is Dead”: Akwa Ibom Community Accuses Sterling Global of Environmental Ruin.
A deep sense of loss and anger has replaced the quiet rhythm of daily life in Edem Idim. Where there was once fertile farmland, there is now scarred earth. Where children once played by clean streams, parents now fear the water is poison. The community, known for its peace, is raising a loud and distressed alarm, directly calling on the Federal Government of Nigeria to step in and save them from what they describe as total ruin.
At the heart of their grief is an accusation against Sterling Global, a company they say entered their land, exploited its resources, and left behind a trail of bitterness and wreckage. Community leaders stress that this was done without proper dialogue, without following agreed processes, and without a fair settlement for the people whose ancestral home has been fundamentally damaged.
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“Our community is broken,” said Chief Asuquo Edet, a village elder. “They came for what was under our soil and on it, but they never saw the people living on top of it. They took, and left us with nothing we can use.”
The economic backbone of Edem Idim has been snapped. Farming, the lifeblood for most families, has ground to a halt. Residents say chemical runoff and soil degradation from the company’s activities have made the land unfit for crops. For the fishermen, the rivers that provided their catch and their income are now polluted, with aquatic life dramatically depleted. Even those in less obvious trades, like sand dredgers and timber dealers, have watched their work disappear as the local ecosystem they depended on was torn apart.
The most immediate and terrifying crisis, however, is the water. The streams, rivers, and even community boreholes that served generations are now contaminated. What flows is not a source of life, but a source of fear.
“We are drinking sickness,” explained Imaobong Stephen, a mother of four. “Our children get rashes and stomach pains. We have no good water to drink, no cassava to farm for garri, and no fish to sell. What are we supposed to do? Where are we supposed to go?”
The plea from Edem Idim is not just for sympathy, but for urgent, concrete action. The community is formally requesting the immediate involvement of key federal bodies, including the Federal Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Lands, the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs. They want a full assessment of the environmental damage, accountability for the loss of livelihoods, and a pathway to remediation and compensation.
A once self-sufficient community now finds itself facing hunger, disease, and the painful reality of being strangers in their own land. The people of Edem Idim are waiting to see if their cry for help will be heard in the halls of power, or if they will be left to fade into a statistic of neglect.
“We are not asking for a favour,” Chief Edet concluded, his voice firm. “We are asking for justice. We are asking for our land and our lives back.”
“Our Water is Poison, Our Land is Dead”: Akwa Ibom Community Accuses Sterling Global of Environmental Ruin.
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