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The Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has emphasized the need for Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) to relocate its operational headquarters to the state.
He spoke when the Shell Country Chair and SPDC Managing Director, Mr Osagie Okunbor, led a management delegation on a courtesy visit to Government House, Yenagoa, on Tuesday.
He 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 the Ogbia Local Government Area, was proof that they were both inseparable in oil and gas business.
He assured the company of a conducive working environment while asserting 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.
He said:“On behalf of this Prosperity Administration and the people of Bayelsa State, I have been directed to invite you to relocate your headquarters back 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.
He also explained 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, adding that this was as a result of cases of breaches of such agreements, which result in conflicts.
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.
Okunbor,who described Bayelsa as the company’s most important host state, 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.
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