Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, has commended the Board and Management of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited on the recent commissioning of its corporate headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
In a release signed by the Niger Delta Pressure group’ spokesperson, Hon Ken Robinson, NLNG was applauded for doing what the international oil companies which for decades have been milking the region, destroying the land and livelihood of the people, have failed to do.
The release read in parts:
“PANDEF is indeed gratified that NLNG decided to relocate its corporate headquarters to Rivers State, where it operates. The development is highly commendable, particularly, coming in the face of the fallacious and undesirable pretext of insecurity being advanced by antagonists of the Niger Delta Region on the refusal of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) to relocate their operational headquarters to the Niger Delta.
“The IOCs work and evacuate millions of barrels of oil, and gas, every day from the Niger Delta region with no mention of insecurity. But only come here to drill the crude, and fly back to Lagos. They pay taxes to Lagos State Government and boost the economy of Lagos. That is a gross disservice to the people in whose land the industry operates.
“Meanwhile, oil and gas exploration activities continue to degrade the hitherto luxuriant, healthy ecosystem of the Niger Delta, and attenuate our people’s means of livelihood, with little or no effort to ameliorate their consequential dire standard of living. Why would people not be unhappy?”
PANDEF stressed that the Niger Delta bears the huge burden of injustice in the Nigerian governance system and called for attention to the lopsidedness which clearly evident in the country’ administration.
“The Niger Delta region remains the biggest victim of the disturbing inconsistencies, injustice, and unfairness of the Nigerian State. How can anyone fathom the fact that the region that produces the wealth of the nation has some of the highest levels of youth unemployment in Nigeria?
“We wish somebody could look at the Nation’s Coat of Arms; we talked about peace and progress; nobody is talking about justice. When there is no justice, how can you have peace?”
It called on the IOCs to follow the NLNG example.
“PANDEF is, therefore, pleased with the management of NLNG for taking the lead in moving its corporate headquarters to the Niger Delta. We hope that the International Oil Companies (IOCs), and their collaborators, would have a rethink, and promptly follow suit, by also relocating their operational headquarters to their areas of operation in the Niger Delta Region. No excuse is tenable for their continued stay in Lagos”.