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| Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, Minister of State for Niger Delta. |
By
Ambrose Ologide
The
Amalgamated Niger Delta Force has urged the new minister of State for Niger
Delta Barrister (Olorogun) Festus Egwarewa Keyamo (SAN) to protect the interest
of host communities of Nigerian Gas Marketing Company (NGMC) in, Delta
State.
It
also urged the Minister of State to work towards the resuscitation of the
moribund sea ports and other companies.
This
was contained in the group’s message of felicitation to the Uvwie, Delta State
born legal luminary cum human rights activist on his new appointment in Warri
on Thursday, August 22nd, 2019 made available to the press.
The
statement explained that the call was necessitated by the urgent need to stop
the alleged plan of relocating the commercial and accounts departments from
Ekpan in Uvwie Local Government Area to the Lagos branch of the company by
some interest groups in the company as widely published in the media recently.
The
statement noted that the said departments are the nucleus of NGMC and therefore
warns that if they are relocated to Lagos or elsewhere, it would adversely
affect the economic life of the host communities.
It
pointed out that It would further worsen the prevailing poor economic
situation in Warri and its environs caused by the relocation of major oil
companies from the area in the mid nineties.
The
statement maintained that NGMC is the only company in the area that has been
providing succour to the people economically.
“NGMC
has been operating peacefully and recording huge net profits over the years in
Ekpan, Delta State. So there is no cogent reason for the relocation of the
commercial and accounts departments to the Lagos branch of the company”
The
statement therefore urged the new minister of state, Niger Delta to use
his good offices to stop the alleged plan to relocate the commercial and
accounts departments from NGMC, Ekpan to the Lagos branch of the
company.
The
group which recalled that the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
Yemi Osinbajo had sometime last year directed that all oil companies should
relocate their headquarters to their host communities, noted that the Niger
Delta Region is the proverbial hen that lays the golden eggs in the
Nigerian economy “and yet there is nothing to show for it, in terms of
development and standard of living of Niger Deltans.
“As
a renowned human rights activist, we urge you to use your good offices to
attract development to Niger Delta by seeing to the resuscitation of the
moribund sea ports and other companies in similar state and help to protect the
interest of Niger Delta and her people as in the case of NGMC," the group
stated.
It had earlier in the statement congratulated the
highly esteemed Uvwie chief on his appointment as a minister of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, wishing him a very successful tenure in office.
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