N’ Delta Youth Threaten To Shut IOCs’ Operations …Over Head Offices

Youth of the Niger Delta region have threatened to shut down oil production in the Niger Delta states if the National Assembly fails to change its stance in the relocation of headquarters of oil multinationals to their operational bases.
The youth under the aegis of the Youth Wing, Pan Niger Delta Elders Forum (PANDEF) also threatened to stage a peaceful protest over the refusal of the multinational oil firms to heed the Federal Government’s directive on the relocation of their head offices.
It would be recalled that the House of Representatives recently voted against the Federal Government order on the multinationals to relocate their Headquarters to their operational bases in the Niger Delta region.
The President of PANDEF Youth Wing/Famous Daumemigha reminded the lawmakers that the money used in paying their allowances was from the Niger Delta and that without moving the (IOC) headquarters to the region, they may no longer have their allowances when youth stop oil production in the region.
The youth president told newsmen, Saturday that the excuse put forward by some lawmakers that the IOCs should not move their head offices as a result of insecurity in the region was flimsy and pointed out that by the time the youths stop the oil flow, their allowances would be directly affected.
“We are going to gather all the youth movements of all the various ethnic nationalities in the Niger Delta in the next months to do a massive protest over the multinational oil companies’ refusal to relocate their head offices to the Niger Delta”, he said.
He reminded members of the National Assembly that they were voted in to represent the interest of the people not the oil multinationals.
“They are not National Assembly members for multinational companies.  We asked the multinational companies to relocate, so the National Assembly has no option than to tell the firms to comply with the position of the people”, he said.

Chris Oluoh