NNPC Denies Relocating Gas Marketing Subsidiary from Warri
… Disowns Insinuation of Plans to Spend N120Million Yearly on Rent, N294Million on Alleged Relocation
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has described as untrue insinuations that plans are afoot to relocate its Gas Marketing Subsidiary, Nigerian Gas Marketing Company Limited (NGMC), from Warri to Abuja.
The National Oil Company has also affirmed that the purported plans to spend N120million as yearly rent and another N294million to relocate NGMC to Abuja are false and should be discountenanced by members of the public.
NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, stated in a release today in Abuja that the clarification came in the wake of a misleading report on the purported relocation and allocation of the huge sums of money for that purpose as broadcast in the social media by a group.
Mr. Ughamadu described the misinformation by the group as malicious and capable of inciting the public, particularly NGMC’s host communities, against the company.
He affirmed that NGMC remained committed to staying and executing it business operations in the Niger Delta, saying the company was poised to sustaining the existing relations between it and its esteemed stakeholders and members of the public.
Economic Confidential recalls that hundreds of Delta youths recently occupied the access route into the premises of the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) in protest of alleged relocation of the offices from the Niger Delta.
The youths, from various ethnic backgrounds, led by the President of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), Eric Omare; his Itsekiri National Youth Council (INYC) counterpart Weyinmi Agbateyinro and other ethnic nationalities youth leaders, said they would resist the relocation of the two companies occupying the premises.
Besides the NGC, the Nigerian Gas Marketing Company (NGMC) is also headquartered in the premises.
Both companies are subsidiaries of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). However, the representatives of the company denied the alleged relocation plot, saying there was no such plan.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Omare said the relocation plan was evil and opposed to the development of the Niger Delta region.
“Youths from Urhobo, Itsekiri, Ijaw, Isoko and Ndokwa ethnic nationalities of Delta State are here because of an unfortunate and disappointing decision by a subsidiary of NNPC –Nigerian Gas Processing and Transportation Company and the Nigerian Gas Marketing Company –to relocate their head offices to from Warri , which is the energy centre in Nigeria to Lagos.