The Federal Government has been called upon to relocate the headquarters of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), International Oil Companies (IOCs) and the Amnesty office to the Niger Delta.
The Isoko National Youth Assembly (INYA) which made the call in a statement at the weekend, also backed the decision of the Federal Government to relocate the department of banking supervision of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the head office of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to Lagos State.
INYA, in a statement, signed by its president, Comrade Eniwake Orogun, said the decision to relocate the department of banking supervision of the CBN and the head office of the FAAN from the FCT to Lagos State was long overdue considering the administrative relevance it promises.
He, however, called on President Bola Tinubu to take commensurate action to relocate the NNPCL, Amnesty office to the Niger Delta, as well as put policies in place to compel the IOCs to do the same.
“We align with the Federal Government’s decision to relocate the department of banking supervision of the CBN and the head office of the FAAN from the FCT to Lagos State.
“There is absolutely nothing out of place to decentralise functions and departments of the government given the federal structure of the nation and the expansive information technology available today.
“Lagos State for instance, hosts the head offices of more than 97 percent of the banks in Nigeria. Also, you can fly from Lagos to anywhere in Nigeria giving it that pivotal status for both domestic and international flight routes and if for administrative effectiveness and efficiency, the headquarters of FAAN need to be there, it is most welcomed.
“We are by this statement urging the government to apply the same principles and swiftness to relocate the NNPC and Amnesty office to Niger Delta.
“We want them to also put policies in place to compel the IOCs and allied companies to relocate their corporate headquarters to the Niger Delta where the drilling activities take place.
“It is an aberration that the head offices of oil companies are outside the Niger Delta, denying the people both the employment and developmental benefits derivable from having these natural resources in their environs.
“The Niger Delta is the epicentre of oil exploration in Nigeria which has made it a principal economic contributor to the federation.
“The revenue on which the national budgets are predicated was sourced from the oil and gas exploration in the Niger Delta. So, a call for the relocation of the administrative seats of these critical resources to the place where they are explored is not only in the best interest of the people but also to the nation as a whole,” Orogun said..
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