Ijaw youths kick against Shell’s planned relocation to Lagos

The council warned that it would insist on the relocation of all oil operations of the company to Lagos, if the headquarters was moved to Lagos.

Mr Eric Omare, spokesman for IYC gave the warning in his reaction to the moves by Shell to relocate its headquarters to Lagos.

He condemned the planned relocation, describing it as callous and insensitive to the volatile situation in the Niger Delta.

Omare said: “The implication of relocating the headquarters of SPDC to Lagos is that all the economic activities related to the headquarters in Port Harcourt will now move to Lagos.

”In response, Ijaw will also decide that all the operational platforms of the company in the offshore, like the export terminals, Bonga field, Forcados and Bonny export terminals be moved to Lagos. We will not allow Shell headquarters to be in Lagos and they operate their oilfields in the Niger Delta.”

Omare who spoke this morning on a radio programme in Port Harcourt said the decision of SPDC will be unacceptable to the Ijaw youths and the host communities.

The Rivers State Government through the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Emmanuel Aguma, SAN had written a petition to the National Assembly protesting the planned relocation to Lagos and the adverse effect it will have on the socio-economic situation of the state.

However, SPDC has denied the allegation.

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt