Governor Nyesom Wike

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

The Ijaw Youths Council, IYC,Worldwide,has warned that if Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC,carries out its planned relocation of its headquarters to Lagos, IYC and the Niger Delta oil bearing communities would insist that all its operational basis in the Niger Delta be relocated to Lagos.

Mr Eric Omare, Spokesman of IYC gave the warning in his reaction saying the the IYC condemns the plan and describing it as callous and insensitive to the tense situation in the Niger Delta, which he said stakeholders are making every efforts to calm.

Omare said”The implication of relocating the headquaters SPDC to Lagos is that all the economic activities related to the headquarters in Port Harcourt will now move from Port Harcourt to Lagos,in response, Ijaw will also decide that all the operational platform in the offshore like export terminals such as Bonga field,Forcados and Bonny export terminals be moved out of the Niger Delta. We will not allow Shell headquarters to be in Lagos and operate their oilfields in the Niger Delta”

Omare who spoke this morning in a radio programme monitored in Port Harcourt said the decision of SPDC will be unacceptable to the Ijaw Youths and host communities to SPDC.
It will be recalled that 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 considering the adverse effects on the socio-economic situation of the state.

However, SPDC has denied the allegation as untrue.