‘End Blackmail Against Rivers’

Shell Nigeria and other multinational companies operating in Rivers State have been advised to change the discourse on Rivers State in the light of current realities that have made the state conducive for business.
Head of the Civil Service of Rivers State, Rufus N. Godwins made the call at the 2016 SPDC Relationship Building Forum organized by the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) for leaders of the Civil Service in Rivers State, yesterday.
Godwins said the companies owe the state the duty of telling the world the developments in Rivers State, and participate in resolving any challenge as the State has provided the needed environment for them to do business.
The Head of the Civil Service, who was speaking on building synergy for business in Rivers State, said that it was time the companies in Rivers State dropped old tales of Rivers State not being safe, because despite the use of a section of the media to paint Rivers State black, the State was very safe.
According to him, the peace in Rivers State is proven by the hosting of many national and international conferences that ran through without hitches, adding that not many states could host the NBA, the Architects, the Nigerian Editors the Rotary International, among others, the way Rivers did.
He said that the change in Rivers State started when Chief Nyesom Wike took office as governor when he immediately opened the courts that were closed for one year, re-opened the House of Assembly that was sitting in Government House, and developed a security architecture that is next to none in Nigeria, He told SPDC to take advantage by arresting and prosecuting pipeline vandals, though he said, there were no records of such vandalism in Rivers State.
Godwins further charged SPDC and the oil majors to also search their hearts and see if they have been truly fair to Rivers State.
“Apart from the near absence of Rivers sons and daughters at the management level of these companies, even the law that mandates the oil firms to give 60% of their junior staff to Rivers is also not obeyed” he said.
Godwins said Rivers people would no longer accept the negative psychology of fear that takes business to other states or fly in workers from Lagos adding that the world now knows better that Rivers State is safe for business and tourism as never before.
Earlier, the Relationship Manager, SPDC, Dr. Alice Ajeh, said Shell operates under four companies and has supported the economy of Rivers State and Nigeria in no small measure.
She said that Shell contributes 90% of export for Nigeria and also makes social investments in terms of community health, entrepreneurial programmes, Education and Global Memorandum of Understanding, among others.
Ajie, however, lamented the vandalisation of Pipelines, illegal bunkering and refining, which had threatened hychocarbon production and actually made production impossible for two months.
She decried the misadventure of some youth whose activities had resulted in environmental pollution, vandalism of oil facilities and economic waste at large.
About a 100 leaders of the Civil Service cutting across the Ministries and extra-ministerial departments attended this year’s Relationship building Forum, at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Port Harcourt.