Adibe Emenyonu in Benin-city
The traditional ruler of Idjerhe Kingdom in Delta State, HRM King Obukowho Monday Whiskey, has described as unacceptable for oil and gas multi-national operating in the Niger Delta region to have their operational headquarters outside where they explore resources.
Whiskey, therefore, tasked the oil giants involved to kindly relocate their headquarters to the region, just as he reminded them that the first law of locating any industries around the world is the nearness to source of raw materials.
The traditional ruler, who spoke to journalists in Benin-city, Edo State, also debunked assertion by oil firms that the region is unsafe to cite their headquarters.
He said: “The first law of locating industry around the world is that the industry must be nearest to the source of raw materials. However, it is abnormal that in Nigeria today, the oil and gas companies that do not have any raw materials in Abuja and Lagos State have all their operational headquarters in either of these two places.
“The Niger Delta people, just because they are few and not highly connected, are usually blackmailed by powerful people who claim that the region is not peaceful.
“But some of us have proved them wrong. I can tell you that there is peaceful atmosphere in the Niger Delta. Exxon Mobil Unlimited has its headquarters in Akwa Ibom State.
“Nobody is harassing them there. As I speak, the tallest building in the South-south region, which houses the Nigeria Local Content Board, is in Yenagoa, Bayels State.
“Nobody is disturbing them. We don’t know what is chasing other multinational companies in the region, because it is illogical to say a place is not safe to site administrative headquarters yet you are exploring crude for international market and other purposes from the same place.”
