By The Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside, has appealed to the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) not to relocate its corporate headquarters from Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital just as he accused the State Governor, Barr Nyesom Wike of inciting statements that have started to chase companies out of the oil rich region.
According to Dakuku, Wike’s incessant statements on issue of death threats to his person have shown a lapse of security in the State, hence companies like Shell had concluded plans of relocating to Lagos State, among other companies.
The appeal came following a petition to the National Assembly, by the Rivers State government on Wednesday, through its Attorney-General, Mr. Emmanuel Aguma, over the planned relocation of SPDC headquarters from Port Harcourt to Lagos State.
Speaking to newsmen in Port Harcourt yesterday, Peterside, stated that if the petition of the state government against Shell is true, then it portends grave consequences for the state.
The NIMASA boss admonished the Anglo-Dutch oil giant to have a rethink about the planned relocation of its head office to Lagos, stating that the Federal Government was making concerted efforts to tame insecurity in the state.
Peterside, who was the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 election, said, “For long, we warned Governor Nyesom Wike that his utterances and actions were drawing the state backward. We admonished him to rise to statesmanship and govern the state like a man ready for the job. His actions have fuelled unnecessary tension in the state, with many people killed.
“How can the Governor of the state be raising false alarm every day that there are plans to assassinate him, what kind of message is he sending out? Almost on weekly basis, Governor Wike is involved in one altercation or the other with security agencies. Can you now see what his actions are bringing to Rivers State?”
He disclosed that he would join hands with relevant stakeholders within and outside Rivers State to put pressure on Shell not to move its headquarters to Lagos.
The NIMASA boss said, “While we condemn the utterances and actions of Governor Wike that are driving companies away from the state, we will do everything we can to promote security and safe haven for investors.
“Already the Federal Government has signed an agreement with Italian firm, Eni to refurbish the Port Harcourt Refinery. The Lagos-Calabar rail line will soon come on stream. We need all the investments we can get so that our state can develop.”
