NNPC To Spend ‘N120m Yearly As Rent, N294m To Relocate NGMC’ From Warri To Abuja – Group

The group, Amalgamated Niger Delta Force (ANDF) has alleged that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has budgeted the sum of N120 million as rent and additional N294 million naira as overall cost of relocation of the Nigerian Gas Marketing Company ( NGMC), one of its subsidiary from Warri, Delta state to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The group alleged that a cabal in NNPC that want to deplete the revenue of Delta State were behind the plot to implement the “evil agenda” which would gulped over N294 million naira.

ANDF claimed that to perfect the plot, the arrowhead of the plans had deliberately labelled the oil host communities as “hostile communities” after they failed to negotiate their plans to take over SPDC properties in the area without recourse to the host communities.

This was contained in a open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari entitled: “The Cabals Final Plot To Relocate Nigerian Gas Marketing Company (NGMC) To Abuja” made available to BIGPEN ONLINE on Wednesday in Warri.

The group claimed that despite the intervention of a prominent traditional ruler in the state to resolve the impasses, the oil industry cabal are hell-bent on moving the gas firm either to Lagos or Abuja.

They said that the moves had earlier caused serious disagreement between Yoruba and Hausa cabal in NNPC who are pushing it on whether the gas marketing subsidiary should be moved to Lagos or Abuja.

They said the development was in flagrant disobedience to the directives of Vice President Yemi Osibanjo while he acted as the President of the country for all oil and gas companies to relocate their headquarters to their host communities.

The group alleged that the said cabal in NNPC had persistently frustrated the implementation of the directives.

“The Hausa cabal is now bent on relocating and moving the headquarters of NGMC from Warri to Abuja Central Business District at the detriment of the people of Delta State and indeed Southern Nigeria from where gas is produced”, the letter read.

Relaying on its intelligent findings, the group alleged that a memo dated 3rd April, 2019 was written to a top management staff ( names withheld ) in the Engineering and Technical Service Department in NGMC to the Managing Director seeking the chief Operating Officer Gas and Power endorsement vis-à-vis from the Group Managing Director, Maikanti Baru approval for the imminent relocation of NGMC to Abuja.

The letter alleged that in the said memo, the sum of N120 million naira per annum was budgeted for rent purposes to effect the relocation of headquarters of NGMC to Abuja “from a budget code that has N294 million naira ( 2019) for this evil agenda implementation”, the letter further read.

Furthermore, the group alleged that in the 5 page memo, Warri was described as “insecure place for management meetings”, saying, “Yet the oil and gas are not insecure to be extracted from Warri soil. It is this vein that SPDC Ogunu premises had been jettisoned instead of working with the community to take possession of the premises.”

The open letter to Mr. President was signed by Abel Peretubor (Coordinator General), Chief Temi Ayemi (Interface Ethnics Coordinator), Hon Okpako Ovie (Diaspora Affairs) Comrade Ogaga Onoriode (Planning & Logistics), Mr Tombra Ototo (Mobilizing Coordinator) and Sir Bemigho Edah (Infor/Statistics Coordinator).

ANDF, in the letter disclosed that managements of the said companies visited a first class traditional ruler in the Warri area over the issue and the traditional ruler assured the companies of their safe operations in his domain, saying “Upon His Royal Majesty’s assurance of safety and security, NGMC are hell-bent on relocating to Abuja.

The group then queried if NGC/NGMC had recorded any security challenges over the years or if customers of NGC/NGMC were barred from operating/coming to Warri or if any NGC/ NGMC staff was barred from going to work in Warri or if NGC/NGMC has not been making profit over the years in Warri ?

“The major gas facilities are in the Niger Delta. All gas up takes even to other West African countries are principally from the Niger Delta. OWEB ( Odidi – Warri Expansion) project that is about to kick off will derive its supplies from Warri, Delta State

They said that NGC/NGMC and NPDC remain the cash cow of NNPC operating in Edo/Delta states and that since 1990, there has been no security challenges in Warri adding that NGC/NGMC declared billions of naira as profit to sustain the economy of Nigeria

“Your completed OB³ Project is from Rivers State in Niger Delta. Your AKK ( Ajaokuta- Kaduna- Kanu ) gas pipeline and future expansion to the northern areas will surely depend on gas from Niger Delta just as Kaduna Refinery depends on Warri for supply of crude oil.”

The group cautioned that any attempt to relocate the said companies from the Warri area to either Lagos or Abuja will further impoverish Niger Delta economy, noting further that relocation of headquarters of NGMC to Lagos or Abuja would adversely affect the OWEB Odidi – Warri Gas expansion project.

They further expressed concern that the alleged plan relocation of NGMC to Lagos or Abuja may lead to actions that could adversely affect the economy of Nigeria and caused Niger Delta youths unrest.

“The Amalgamated Niger Delta Force members are watching and we are prepared to resist this economic injustice by the cabals”, they warned.

The group however suggested that monies budgeted for the alleged planned relocation of NGMC to Abuja should be use to renovate parts of SPDC properties for immediate occupation and that the fallow lands in the present headquarters of  Nigerian Gas Company ( NGC) should be developed to accommodate the two companies ie Nigerian Gas Company ( NGC) and Nigerian Gas Marketing Company ( NGMC) to avoid payment on rents.

While calling on President Buhari to direct all oil and gas companies to relocate their headquarters from Lagos or Abuja to their host communities in the Niger Delta, the group pledged to give NGC /NGMC every moral support for sustainable development with a view to attracting investors to the Niger Delta area provided the NGC/ NGMC are not relocated to Lagos or Abuja.

Efforts to reach NNPC spokesman or managements of both NGC and NGMC to comment on this report proved abortive at as the time the story was filed for publication.

BIGPEN ONLINE recalls that Delta State ethnic nationalities youth leaders had earlier protested over the development in January 7, 2019 but the management of NGMC through the Executive Director Assets Management and Technical Services ( EDAM/TS) Engineer E. A Akinsanya denied the allegations.

The Delta State Government through the Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Hon Freedom Fregene had also met the company’s management in January when the issue first raised its ugly head.

Story contributed by Ambrose Ologide, Editing by Joe Ogbodu