An oil platform
The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) on Sunday reacted to the
controversy between the presidency and the owners of the multi-million
dollars Egina Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility
over the decision of the federal government to relocated the
fabrication activity from LADOL yard in Lagos to Agge in Bayelsa State
The youths said they would not allow materials fabricated in Lagos to be used on the platform in the Niger Delta region.
The IYC reaction was subsequent to the interim order of the
federal high court in Lagos stopping the federal government from
implementing the directive.
According to the IYC in a statement by its spokesman, Eric
Omare, “We want to make it clear that whether court injunction or no
court injunction, we would not allow materials to be fabricated in Lagos
and used to build oil platform in the Niger Delta region. The region
has been taken for granted for too long and we would no longer accept
it.
“The IYC and indeed the Niger Delta people back the directive
of President Goodluck Jonathan to move the fabrication of oil and gas
materials to the Niger Delta region where the eventual job is to be
done. We also support the directive to move oil and gas cargoes to only
ports in Warri, Calabar and Onne. This is not only in line with the
requirement of the local content law but is also makes so much economic
sense.
“It is common knowledge that Lagos is highly congested and
there is need to move some class of cargoes especially oil and gas
materials to ports within the Niger Delta region where the oil
facilities are located.
“We consider the opposition to the presidential directive and
the attendant media propaganda by the Lagos cabal as an insult on Niger
Deltans. It is on record that all the oil companies operating in the
Niger Delta region have their offices in Lagos to the detriment of the
Niger Delta economy.
“Henceforth, Niger Deltans would take steps to ensure that any
oil company without its headquarters in the region would not be allowed
to operate in the region. The IYC frowned and condemn the ex-parte order
of the federal high court.”
The group further said: “We wonder how the federal high court
would hurriedly grant such an order without giving opportunity to other
parties to present their own side of the case. We question the swiftness
of the order of the court and call on the National Judicial Council
(NJC) to investigate the judge who granted the order.”Culled from Thisday
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