Why oil companies won’t relocate headquarters to Niger Delta – Timipre Sylva
Nigeria’s Federal Government has told states in the South-South region that multinational oil companies would not be relocating their Headquarters to the Niger Delta, citing the lack of peace as a yardstick for it’s decision.
The decision was announced on Sunday by the honorable minister of petroleum resources, Timipre Sylva while speaking with news men.
Sylva spoke after after his induction as patron and conferment of the peace ambassadors award on him by the Niger Delta Non-Violence Agitators Forum in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
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He noted that if the region insecure, investment would continue to be elusive as no oil company would agree to go relocate there.
Sylva enjoined Niger Deltans to remain steadfast in the quest to bringing lasting peace to the oil-producing areas.
He said, “What I must say here is that the core of your organisation is non-violence and that is actually the essence of what we want in Nigeria.
“We must bring peace to the Niger Delta. It’s our duty to bring peace to the Niger Delta. Sometimes, we are worried that investment opportunities are not coming to the Niger Delta. But we must realize that it’s our activities that will determine whether these opportunities will come or not.
“Right now, we are saying that oil companies must move their Headquarters to the Niger Delta. But it’s our duty to ensure that the place is peaceful enough for the oil companies to move back there. If the place is insecure, you will actually believe that no oil company will agree to go there.
“That is why this organization is really very important in the Niger Delta. That’s why we must begin to also encourage those of you who are committed to making peace and only trying to assuage those who are making trouble. So I am really happy to be associated with this organization.
“What we need in the Niger Delta more than anything else right now is peace and I believe that if there is peace in the Niger Delta there will be prosperity. No investor would want to operate from far if there is peace because it actually cost him more, operating from a distance. So for us, I believe that if we can bring peace to the Niger Delta, these investors will not talk much.”
The former Bayelsa state governor called for other organizations to follow in the footsteps of NDNAF in propagating the message of peace.
“Just as you have brought that message to me, I want to assure you that from today, I will also be an advocate of the NDNAF,” the Minister said.
Prominent bodies in the Niger Delta, particularly the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) and the Pan Niger Delta Elders Forum (PANDEF) have long clamored for multinationals to relocate their headquarters to the region providing the resources for their operations.
