Reps, NIMASA urge Shell to suspend relocation from Port-Harcourt

The House of Representatives, on Thursday, urged the Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr Ibe Kachikwu, to prevail on Shell not to relocate from Port-Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
The House called on the minister, the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS) and Shell to suspend the planned relocation and allow it the opportunity to intervene.
This followed a motion by Rep. Kingsley Chinda, (PDP-Rivers) and seven other lawmakers, which was unanimously adopted by members through a voice vote.
Moving the motion, Chinda described the planned relocation of Shell from Port-Harcourt as a threat to national security.
He explained that Shell had on September 15, 2016 issued tender document advertising for tenders for the construction of a supply base service.
Chinda further explained that the Niger Delta region had witnessed increasing divestments and relocation by Shell on spurious reason bordering on high operational costs.
He said that the major demand of the Pan Niger-Delta Forum (PAN-DEF) meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in December 2016, was the return of the operational bases of all oil companies and oil servicing companies to the Niger-Delta help the restive youths.
The lawmaker added that the major cause of militancy in the region was the allegation of abandonment by operators in the oil sector and the consequential poverty and degraded environment.
He expressed concerns that several youths and stakeholders in the region were provoked and were already protesting the planned relocation which will further escalate militant activities in the region.
The youth restiveness, Chinda said will affect the Nigerian economy that was already experiencing recession due to low crude oil output.
The House therefore, set up an Adhoc Committee to investigate the planned relocation and its implications and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.
Also, the Director-General (D-G) of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dakuku Peterside, appealed to SPDC not to relocate its corporate headquarters from Port Harcourt.
In a statement in Abuja on Thursday by the D-G’s media team, Peterside admonished SPDC to have a rethink about the planned relocation of its head office to Lagos.
He said the Federal Government was making concerted efforts to tame insecurity in Rivers.
Peterside’s appeal came as the Rivers Attorney-General, Mr Emmanuel Aguma, petitioned the Senate over the “planned relocation” of SPDC headquarters from Port Harcourt to Lagos State.
He said that if the petition of Rivers State Government against Shell was true, then it would portend grave consequences for the state that had been embroiled in all manner of needless controversies.
“It took political brinkmanship to bring SPDC headquarters to Rivers State. For long, we warned Governor Nyesom Wike about his utterances and actions.
“We admonished him to rise to statesmanship and govern the state like a man ready for the job. His actions have fuelled unnecessary tension in the state, with many people killed.
“How can the governor of the state be raising false alarm everyday that there are plans to assassinate him? What kind of message is he sending out?”
Peterside disclosed that he would cooperate with relevant stakeholders within and outside Rivers to put pressure on Shell not to move its headquarters to Lagos.
“Already the Federal Government has signed an agreement with Italian firm, Eni, to refurbish the Port Harcourt Refinery.
“The Lagos-Calabar rail line will soon come on stream. We need all the investments we can get so our state can develop.
Sen. George Sekibo had on Wednesday prayed the Senate to investigate reasons behind the plans to move the Anglo-Dutch giant to Lagos.
Sekibo had said Shell’s planned action might spark off a security crisis in Port Harcourt.