Youths in the Niger Delta have warned the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) against going ahead with alleged plans to relocate the headquarters of the Nigerian Gas Marketing Company (NGMC) to Abuja.

The warning came amidst a leaked memo dated 03/04/19 from Managing Director of NGMC to the Group Managing Director of NNPC that staff and the gas company’s headquarters be moved to the Federal Capital Territory because of insecurity in Warri and environs.

MKA Baru signed the controversial memo titled: ‘Request for Approval for the Relocation of NGMC Head Office and staff to Abuja’.

Leaders of the ethnic youth groups in the state, under the aegis of Delta State Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders Forum, warned that the move could unleash a fresh crisis in the Niger Delta.

DSENYLF, which comprises of the youth leaders from all oil producing communities in the state, said it was in possession of a leaked memo from the NNPC directing that the headquarters of the subsidiary in Warri, should be moved to Abuja.

A statement in Port Harcourt on Sunday, stated: “The leaked memo dated the 3/4/2019 and addressed to the GMD of NNPC seeking for approval to relocate the company head office from Warri to Abuja based on alleged and non-existing security concerns in Warri.”

Presidents of Ijaw Youth Council and Itsekiri National Youth Council, Messrs. Eric Omare and Agbateyiniro Weyinmi respectively, as well as Ovie Umuakpo, Festus Oviesiri, Benjamin Onwubolu and Emeke Asike of Urhobo, Isoko, Ndokwa and Ika ethnic groups signed the document.

They also raised alarm over a looming crisis and disturbance to oil facilities in the Niger Delta region over the plan, stressing it was vexing that rather than obey a presidential directive on the relocation of oil and gas companies headquarters to the region the NNPC was doing the opposite.

They warned that their various groups would be unable to restrain their members and ensure peaceful atmosphere for companies to operate in Delta State if the national oil firm goes ahead with the purported plan.

Omare, Weyinmi and the others wondered “why the cabal in the NNPC is determined to relocate the headquarters of the NGMC to Abuja despite the fact that the gas which they market is produced in Delta State and its environs.

The youth leaders stated that they wonder why Delta State is not good enough to host the headquarters of a company but is good enough to be the highest oil and gas producing states and thereby contributing substantially the nation’s economy. (The Nation)

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