The plight of the Ndokwa ethnic nationality in Delta North Senatorial District (Anioma), Delta State, stands as a symbolic reflection of the wider Niger Delta experience—where oil-rich communities are exploited by both government and oil companies, only to be left in darkness and underdevelopment despite their significant contributions to national wealth.
For two decades, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, Anambra, Enugu, and several other states have benefitted from the electricity generated by the Okpai Independent Power Plant (IPP) situated in the Okpai community of Ndokwa East Local Government Area. Ironically, the very communities hosting this national asset have never received a single day of power supply from the plant.
Back in 2005, when the IPP was nearing completion, residents of Okpai had threatened to halt the inauguration over the federal government’s refusal to provide electricity to local communities. Then-President Olusegun Obasanjo intervened, assuring them that electricity would be stepped down to the communities. However, he left office in 2007 without fulfilling the promise—and every subsequent administration has continued with similar unfulfilled assurances.
In 2021, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) awarded a N4.2 billion contract for the construction of a 132kV double-circuit transmission line aimed at improving electricity access in the area. Yet, the project remains stalled four years later, with no official explanation.
Former Delta State Governor and current Senator, Ifeanyi Okowa, who hails from the same senatorial district, never openly addressed the electricity crisis during his eight years in office, possibly citing that the power plant is a federal project. His successor, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, has also shown reluctance, declining Senator Ned Nwoko’s proposal to execute the electricity step-down using a public-private partnership (PPP) model. This proposal would have enabled investors to recover their investment through state-backed installments or community-based consumer billing.
Frustrated and determined, Ndokwa youths decided in early 2025 that they would no longer remain passive. Ignoring pleas from Deputy Governor Monday Onyeme and other prominent local politicians, they staged a mass protest on Monday, June 16, under the banner “Light Up Ndokwa Nation.”
By 6 a.m., thousands of protesters had occupied the Kwale community in Ndokwa West Local Government Area, blocking both lanes of the Asaba-Kwale-Ughelli highway. The protest was meant to send a clear message to the federal government: step down electricity from Okpai IPP to Ndokwa communities.
Security forces attempted to disperse the protesters with tear gas around 9 a.m., claiming the protest had turned violent. Delta State Police Command spokesman, SP Bright Edafe, justified the use of force by citing instances of road blockades, tire burning, and stone-throwing by some protesters.
Despite government attempts to calm tensions, including promises from Deputy Governor Onyeme that the communities would be connected to the national grid within two weeks, the protesters remained unmoved. The youths insisted that they no longer trusted verbal assurances and rejected any connection through the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), demanding a direct step-down from the Okpai power plant.
Ndokwa youth leaders emphasized that the protest was not only about electricity but a cry against decades of abandonment, political silence, and marginalization. “They’ve ignored our pleas for years and are now only rushing because we took a stand,” one youth leader said. “We want the federal government to step down electricity from the Okpai Power Plant to our communities or shut it down. You cannot generate electricity from our land and leave us in the dark.”
Meanwhile, local government chairman Possible Ajede revealed that 80 percent of the materials needed to connect Ndokwa communities to the national grid were already on ground, hinting at bureaucratic delays as the primary obstacle.
Reacting to the protest and criticism, Delta State Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Charles Aniagwu, stated that although the Okpai power project is a federal initiative, the state government is making efforts to intervene. He disclosed that Deputy Governor Onyeme has been directed to ensure that Ndokwa communities get connected and that discussions are ongoing to resolve liabilities between former power authorities and the BEDC.
Aniagwu also mentioned that power infrastructure in the area had been vandalized during the period of blackout, which added further complexity to the reconnection efforts.
Activist and founder of the Young Nigerian Rights Organization, Victor Ojei, condemned the state’s long-standing neglect of Ndokwa land, despite its critical role in Delta’s oil and gas revenue. “The Ndokwa nation has no state university, no federal institution, no significant development—just exploitation and empty promises. When the people protested peacefully, the same government that sought their votes labeled them criminals. What changed?” he asked.
In March 2024, Senator Ned Nwoko escalated the matter to the Senate, raising a motion on the neglect of the host communities of the Okpai IPP. The Senate consequently mandated its power committee to investigate the delay in stepping down 100 megawatts of electricity to Delta North. The Senate also urged the TCN and Federal Ministry of Power to immediately supply electricity from the Okpai plant to the surrounding communities.
Senator Nwoko, in his submission, highlighted the Okpai plant’s contribution to Nigeria’s national grid and pointed out that the upgraded facility now has a capacity of 930 megawatts. He stressed that the delay in implementing the step-down project, despite the 2021 contract award, remains unjustifiable.
Two decades after the commissioning of the Okpai IPP, the people of Ndokwa are still waiting—this time not just with hope, but with action. The “Light Up Ndokwa Nation” protest may very well mark a turning point in the long, painful journey toward justice, equity, and the basic right to electricity.
