The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has condemned and described as provocative the plan by Anglo-Dutch multinational oil company, Shell, to move its corporate headquarters from Port Harcourt, Rivers state in the Niger Delta to Lagos, South west Nigeria.
The IYC Spokesman, Eric Omare, told NAIJ.com that this move by Shell is not only insensitive but capable of escalating the already volatile security situation in the Niger Delta region.
Omare said while critical stakeholders are making frantic efforts to restore peace and security to the already volatile Niger Delta region orchestrated by wrong policies of Shell and its allies in the Nigerian government, the company is planning another move that would worsen the security situation in the region.
According to him, the IYC is aware of the plan of Shell which is to substantially sell off its onshore assets, maintain only crude oil transportation and storage facilities and operate the lucrative EA and Bonga offshore oil fields located in the Niger Delta from Lagos by carrying its workers through helicopter on daily basis.
He said this plan clearly demonstrates the anti-community and Niger Delta nature of Shell.
It was such anti-oil producing communities policies by Shell, Chevron, Exxon Mobil and other multinationals operating in the Niger Delta that gave birth to the present restiveness in the volatile region.
Omare said the implication of Shell relocating its corporate headquarters from the region to Lagos is that the region would lose all the economic and other associated benefits that come with having a corporate headquarters in the region.
The Niger Delta states would not only lose revenue but even business moguls doing business with Shell will have to move from the Niger Delta to Lagos with the attendant negative economic effects.
To this end, the IYC is calling on Shell to halt its plan or be ready to completely move out of its offshore oil platforms located in the Niger Delta namely: EIA and Bonga offshore oil fields.
“These are the oil fields that Shell intends to operate from Lagos through transportation of workers on helicopter on a daily basis so as to avoid its corporate responsibilities to Niger Delta communities affected by its operations,” Omare said.
He added that if the company insisted on moving its corporate headquarters from the Niger Delta to Lagos, it must also be ready to move out from the EA and Bonga offshore oil fields.
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