Protest Rocks Abuja as Ndokwa Residents Demand Step-Down of Okpai IPP

Abuja - Eagle Square, Abuja, was on Tuesday filled with chants and placards as hundreds of Ndokwa residents from Delta State took to the streets in a peaceful protest demanding the step-down of the Okpai Independent Power Plant (IPP) to benefit their communities.

The demonstrators, who converged under the banner of the Ndokwa Youths for Justice Movement, carried placards with bold inscriptions such as “Step Down Okpai IPP Now,” “Ndokwa Deserves Light,” “Our Gas, Our Power,” and “No More Neglect.”

The Okpai Gas Power Plant, located in Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State, is one of Nigeria’s major gas-fired power facilities with an installed capacity of 450 megawatts. It supplies electricity to the national grid but leaves its host communities in darkness and underdevelopment, a situation the protesters described as “unjust and unacceptable.”

Addressing Kwale Post, Comrade Enubuzor, one of the protest leaders, condemned what he called the “systematic exclusion” of Ndokwa people from the benefits of their own natural resources.

“Okpai IPP produces 450 megawatts of electricity that powers several states in Nigeria, yet Ndokwa land — the host of this national asset — remains in total darkness. This is a betrayal of justice and fairness,” Enubuzor said.“We are calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently direct the Ministry of Power and relevant agencies to ensure that the power generated in Ndokwa is stepped down for local use. Enough of this neglect,” he added.

The protesters also lamented decades of infrastructural decay, unemployment, and environmental degradation, despite Ndokwa’s significant contribution to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

“Ndokwa people have been patient for too long. We provide the gas that lights up other parts of the country, yet our schools, hospitals, and homes are in darkness. We demand inclusion, justice, and electricity for our people,” another protester, Mrs. Chika Ojei, told reporters.

Security personnel from the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS) were present at Eagle Square to ensure peace and order throughout the demonstration. The protest remained largely peaceful, with chants and songs echoing calls for energy justice and fair treatment.

The Okpai Independent Power Project, operated by the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) in partnership with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), has long been a point of contention between the government and the Ndokwa people, who insist the facility should directly benefit its host communities.

Observers say Tuesday’s protest may mark the beginning of a renewed wave of agitation from Niger Delta communities seeking greater equity and accountability in resource management.