Nigeria, July 22, 2015, (Blank NEWS Online) –
Governor of oil rich Delta state, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa has urged the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to re-establish their office in the state due to the numerous benefits derivable from such.
He said closing down its office in the state was not a good idea as the company still have a lot of business activities going on in the state, especially, loading its crude from the Forcados terminal.
While playing host to management of SPDC on a courtesy visit at Government House, Asaba, Governor Okowa, on Tuesday, July 21, 2015 said it was important for the oil company to re-open its operational office and show more presence in the state.
The Governor also urged Shell and other corporate organisations to partner with the state in the areas of empowering the people, disclosing that the youths empowerment programmes of his administration has provided enough window for them to key in.
“We are glad that you (Shell) are still exporting crude through the Forcados terminal and still have other assets in the state, Shell cannot wish Delta State away from its business relationship, we have a long shared relationship with Shell as one of its founding areas in the country, your leaving Delta State has some economic impact on the state, we would be glad to have your office back to the state.
“Your visit today is very re-assuring, we will do our best to protect and provide conducive business environment and the best of services for investors in the state.”
The management team of SPDC was led by Engr. Osagie Okunbor who had earlier congratulated Senator Okowa on his emergence as Governor and assured him of SPDC’s preparedness to support his administration’s agenda of a prosperous Delta State, stating that the company still have a lot of assets in the state despite divesting its operations.
*Vigilance Against Pipeline Vandals:
In another development, Governor Okowa called on communities to be vigilant against pipeline vandalism as acts of vandalism was affecting the resources of the state.
The Governor observed that allocations to the state from the Federation Account was always affected when crude oil from the state are lost due to pipeline vandalism, disclosing that in April, 2015, the state lost three million barrels of crude oil as a result of criminal attacks on oil pipelines, noting that as such, revenue accruing to the state as a result of its oil output was reduced.
Speaking when members of Ukoko R’Ivie R’Urhobo which is the umbrella body of government recognised traditional rulers from Delta Central Senatorial District paid him a congratulatory visit on Tuesday, Okowa said:
“I want to say to Deltans that we should be more vigilant against pipleline vandals, they are doing us a lot of disservice because for the indices that has been sent to us, we lost in the month of April alone about three million barrels of oil, it will reflect in this July allocation that will be sent to us. We lost as much as three million barrels that would have been accounted for through Delta State because of that action that happened in April.
“In the revenue allocation we are going to lose an equivalent of three million barrels that would have come to the state, so, when it comes to the issue of derivation, instead of the eleven million barrels that we were supposed to produce as a state for the month of April, we have about eight million barrels and that definitely is going to affect us so much in the allocation we are going to have this month, so, we pray that our brothers and young ones will try to cooperate with us to ensure that we don’t have such things reoccurring in the future.”
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