Relocation Of Gas Coy: Omo-Agege Fumes As NNPC Uses ‘Indecorous Language’ To Dismiss His Efforts To Douse Anxieties

Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, the Deputy President of the Senate, has expressed displeasure over the reply given by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation on his reaction to the alleged moves by the Corporation to relocate Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) headquarters from the Niger Delta region.

BIGPEN Online reports that the NNPC had in a press statement released by its Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Ndu Ughamadu described as unfortunate statement credited to Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege where he reportedly condemned alleged moves by the Corporation to relocate NGC headquarters from the Niger Delta region.

“The corporation maintains that the Deputy President of the Senate might have either been misinformed or was quoted out of context.

“The subject of relocation of NGC was never on the table for deliberation by the NNPC management,’’ Ughamadu said in his statement.

But responding to the NNPC statement on Monday, the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the Deputy President of the Senate, Mr. Yomi Odunuga, said that his principal spoken from a position of informed  knowledge.

He said that it was very unfortunate that the NNPC would rather deploy such “indecorous and intemperate language to dismiss efforts to douse anxieties, especially in a matter that touches on the economic prosperity of the Niger Delta region.”

Odunuga noted that there has been widespread anxieties among stakeholders in the Niger Delta over alleged plans for the relocation of the NGC.

He said the issue has been on the front burner for many months before the Deputy President of the Senate drew attention to it during the ministerial screening.

The statement read in part; “Our attention has been drawn to a statement credited to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation stating that the Deputy President of the Senate, Distinguished Senator Ovie Omo-Agege , was either misinformed or must have been quoted out of context.

“Specifically, he had sought a commitment that the planned relocation of the headquarters of the Nigerian Gas Company from Ekpan-Warri in Delta state should be dropped as it’s relocation could jeopardise developmental strides in the area.

“While it is gratifying that the NNPC, in the statement signed by its General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, has assured all the stakeholders in the region that neither the NGC nor any of its other subsidiaries would be relocated outside the area of operation, the following clarifications have become necessary.

“The issue, it must be stressed, was the focus of a peaceful youthful protest by Niger Delta youths earlier in January this year at the premises of the NGC and this disrupted the activities of the gas firm until an official from the Delta State Government and other stakeholders intervened and normalcy was restored. 

“This particular event was widely reported and it was given ample coverage in The Guardian newspaper of January 8, 2019 with the title “Delta youths protest against planned relocation of gas company.’

“As far as the Deputy Senate President is concerned, he would continue to maintain his demand that multinationall oil companies should, in compliance with an earlier plea made by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, relocate their headquarters to the region while guaranteeing  the safety of the workers. This will further help in the accelerated economic and physical development of the area as there would be massive employment opportunities with anticipated return of the oil servicing firms that also relocated alongside the multinationall companies.

“The Deputy Senate President aims to leverage on his position to ensure that complete peace returns to the Niger Delta so that it’s people can further access the benefits of President Muhammadu Buhari’s economic plans and thereby attain the potential of a truly blessed region.

BIGPEN Online had reported series of stories on the alleged plot to relocate the Nigerian Gas Marketing Company (NGMC) from Warri, Delta State to either Lagos or Abuja.

In January as reported by this medium,  hundreds of protesting youths drawn from Urhobo, Ijaw, Itsekiri, Isoko and Ndokwa ethnic nationalities of Delta state had told BIGPEN Online that the management of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, (NNPC) had planned to move the gas marketing company to either Abuja or Lekki in Lagos.

The youths at the protest handed NGMC a seven days warning action effect from today, 7th January 2019 in which they threatened to take major action capable of crippling NNPC operations in the state.

In April, there was another mass protest by Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) who threatened that Nigeria would boil over the purported relocation. Similarly, a group, Amalgamated Niger Delta Force (ANDF) had alleged that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) 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 in a petition then which was copied relevant stakeholders including the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, representing Delta Central senatorial district, had 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.