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Move Your Hqtrs To N’Delta, Senate Orders Oil Firms

Nigerian Senate, bent on ensuring that Nugeria’s Law in Local Content amongst others are strictly adhered to, Tuesday ordered international oil companies, IOCs to with immediate effect relocate their corporate headquarters from Abuja and Lagos back to their former base in the Niger Delta region.
The Senate’s order came after a meeting between the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petition and a group under the aegis of Peace Development, Security and Humanitarian Rights Association of Niger Delta in the National Assembly , Abuja.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee, Senator Ayo Akinyelure ( Ondo Central), in his remarks at the meeting urged the multinational oil companies to read and apply their local content laws on not just the employment scheme but on every other issues of concern .
His words “ Read your local content laws and let it apply to Nigerians in the Niger Delta region . All the international oil companies must relocate their headquarters to the area where they operate so that the state governments can get their tax to improve their internally generate revenue, IGR.
“So that people will get employment because the power houses are currently relocated to Lagos. We are aware that their headquarters are either moved to Lagos or Abuja.
“The people in the Niger Delta want you to relocate to Niger Delta so that their state governments can collect their tax for the development of their states. The people of Niger Delta wants you back to the region.”
Senator James Manager (Delta South) in his contribution lamented that “most of the headquarters of the international oil companies are located outside the Niger Delta areas” as he bluntly noted the people of the region were not happy about the development
“I hope and pray that it wouldn’t degenerate into something else subsequently. I don’t know if representatives of the IOCs here are competent speak on this on behalf of their headquarters because the Niger Deltans as far as we are concerned that in so doing that we can never be tolerated any longer.
“We are aware that it was the unrest in the Niger Delta that forced them out of the region to relocate to somewhere else but there is peace in the region as we speak. Niger Delta is not like the North East, peace has since returned to region. So, why are you still outside the Niger Delta. We can no longer tolerate that, you need to relocate to Niger Delta.”he stated
Earlier in his submission, Secretary General of the group, Comrade Lucky Ovigue Ohwahwa, had listed among other issues, the inclusion of indigenes in the employment scheme of the IOCs, provision of electricity, establishment of youth/women acquisition, training and employment centers in every oil and gas producing local government areas and other basic social amenities to the host communities in the Niger Delta region.
It was also gathered that most of the IOCs , some years back moved their corporate headquarters from Niger Delta region to Lagos and Abuja respectively owing to alleged escalation of youth restiveness and kidnapping in their areas of operations
Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi, Abuja
News
I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
News
Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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