ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, Yenagoa
The Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has reiterated his call on Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to relocate its operational headquarters to the state.
Diri stressed that given the historical significance of the state to Shell, there was no better location to site its headquarters.
The Governor re-echoed this when the Shell Country Chair and SPDC Managing Director, Mr. Osagie Okunbor, led a management delegation on a courtesy visit to Government House, Yenagoa.
A statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, said on Wednesday.
Diri said that the presence of Shell in Bayelsa was essential for the economic benefits of both parties.
He emphasised that the long-standing relationship between the state and Shell, following the discovery of oil in commercial quantity at Otuabagi community in Ogbia Local Government Area, was proof that they were both inseparable in oil and gas business.
While assuring the company of a conducive working environment, Diri asserted that the stereotype of insecurity in the Niger Delta as a ploy to deprive the goose that lays the golden egg was no longer tenable.
The Governor said: “On behalf of this administration and the people of Bayelsa State, I have been directed to invite you to relocate your headquarters to your state, the peaceful state of Bayelsa.
“You are aware that I’m an apostle of the relocation of your headquarters. You would agree with me that Bayelsa is peaceful and stable.
“I know it might not be very easy to relocate everything but let us feel a fundamental presence of Shell. In fact, there is no reason why the Shell headquarters should be in any place other than Bayelsa.
“The history and story of Bayelsa cannot be complete without Shell. We have an intertwined and long-lasting relationship between the state of Bayelsa (then in the old Rivers State) and Shell.
“As a people, I want to put on record that we have not been fairly treated as those who provide the resources for this country.”
Speaking on the legal dispute over outstanding revenues owed the state by the company, Diri said an amicable resolution was possible in the spirit of the renewed relationship between both parties.
He also spoke about his administration’s decision to supervise the signing and be a part of Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) between host communities and companies operating in the state.
He said this was occasioned by cases of breaches of such agreements, which result in conflicts.
The policy, according to the governor, would be supervised by the Ministry of Justice in order to protect the interest of such communities and, by extension, the companies.
In his remarks, the Shell Country Chair and SPDC Managing Director, Mr. Osagie Okunbor, noted the key steps taken by Diri to promote peace in the state and commended the governor’s leadership quality.
Describing Bayelsa as the company’s most important host state, Okunbor said they were impressed with the governor’s handling of affairs of the state and his support for their operations.
He said that Bayelsa was host to some of the company’s most strategic assets that keeps it going.
Okunbor promised to sustain the relationship between the company and the state through investment in key development projects in the state.