Bayelsa Govt vows to eject oil multinationals with no headquarters in Yenagoa

The Bayelsa State government on Sunday asked multinational oil companies with operations in the area to relocate their operational offices from Lagos, Port Harcourt and Warri to Yenagoa, the state capital, or quit the state.

The State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Kemasuode Wodu, said in Abuja the government took the decision in response to the discrimination suffered by its citizens at the hands of the oil companies.

According to the Commissioner, despite Bayelsa State’s contribution of oil and gas to the development of the country, the companies do not have their offices in the state capital.“It is worthy of note that crude oil was first produced in commercial quantities in Nigeria at Oloibiri in the present day Bayelsa State almost 60 years ago,” Mr. Wodu said.

He listed Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited (NAOC), Chevron/Texaco Nigeria Limited and Conoil Nigeria Limited as some of the major oil companies operating in the state.He said while the companies have their operational facilities all over Bayelsa State from where they drill crude oil and gas, the offices are either in Lagos, Warri in Delta State, or Port Harcourt in Rivers State.

He said apart from coordinating and managing their operations, key management decisions, employments and contracts are made from these operational offices outside the state.“In these locations, they have very large state of the art modern office and residential complexes. Some of these estates are comparable to those available in the developed world, if not better.

Some of these structures are skyscrapers and some of these estates are built on tens of hectares of land,” he claimed.Besides, he said several other indigenous and multinational service companies have had to stay outside Bayelsa to enable them relate with these companies and their managers and Executives to secure businesses.

Apart from several other businesses that also follow these companies, the Commissioner said the hospitality industry and financial services sector, amongst others, are other major beneficiaries of the presence of the operational offices of these oil companies.He noted the benefits associated with the location of the oil companies, including the expansion of the economy of the area, revenue from employee income taxes to the state as well as taxes for the land and other company properties.

Besides, he said employees of those companies would also impact the economy of the area by either renting houses, buying land and building houses and estates as well as patronizing the local markets and supermarkets.“It is my view, with the greatest respect, that the foregoing situation legally amounts to discrimination against the people of Bayelsa State, contrary to the provisions of Section 42(1) of the Constitution,” Mr. Wodu said.

He said the African Charter on Human and Peoples Right prohibits discrimination against a people.The plight of the people of Bayelsa, Mr. Wodu said, has been aggravated by the fact that it is the state and its people that bear the brunt of the oil and gas operations in the country due to the environmental degradation by crude oil spills.“Our environment is in a grave state of devastation and despoliation. The companies do not carry out appropriate remediation of the degraded environment and neither is adequate compensation paid for the damage occasioned by the frequent spillages,” Mr. Wodu said.

Urging the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, to invoke her powers and act to aid the economic and infrastructural development of the State, the Commissioner said the state has already set up a special committee of legal experts to take steps to compel the oil firms to relocate to the state.He said that when this was done, the internally generated revenue of the State would receive a boost for the State to be able to meet its responsibility of providing basic infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, motorable roads for the people of the State.

In the meantime, he said the state government would also interact with the companies to explore the possibility of achieving that objective without resorting to the legal process.He said the state government was ready to provide incentives, including land and Certificates of Occupancy, to encourage the companies agree to open their offices in the area.

Source...
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/business/170209-bayelsa-govt-vows-to-eject-oil-multinationals-with-no-headquarters-in-yenagoa.html

RE: BAYELSA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE TO GULP N33BN

The Bayelsa State Government has condemned in its entirety and described as mischievous, a news story; published in the Friday, 10 th of October, 2014 edition of Thisday entitled “Bayelsa New Governor’s office to gulpN33b”

A Government House statement has debunked the report as the figment of the imagination of the author and a clear misrepresentation of facts, as the project in question only costs the Bayelsa State Government N3. 8b as against the N33. 8b reported by the Thisday newspaper.

Describing the publication as a misrepresentation of facts and an attempt to tarnish the good image and the support enjoyed by the present administration in the State, the Government hereby advises journalists to always cross check their facts before going to the press.

Thisday is one of the highly respected newspapers in the country and it is sad to observe that, its correspondent that ought to know better, is feeding the unsuspecting public with tissues of lies.

The present administration in the State as regard for the media and that is why it always made public its activities, including the award of contracts.

It remains one the leading States in the country that has on monthly basis published its accounts, since the inception of the present administration under Governor Seriake Dickson.

The statement also wishes to debunk the claim by the newspaper that, the Governor’s collapsed, as there was no incident of such and again, is a calculated attempt to cover up the truth and give a bad image to the State Government.

Daniel Iworiso-Markson

Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Bayelsa State

EXECUTIVE RECKLESSNESS-Two NSCDC Officers Over Murder Of Boat Owner In Bayelsa

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, is once again in the eye of the storm after two of its officers were arrested for causing the death of a boat owner, Akunama Agunza.

For their alleged complicity in the murder of one Akunama Agunza, a 25-year-old boat owner, the Bayelsa State Police Command has arrested of two officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC.

The two NSCDC officials are alleged to have conspired with some other unidentified persons in the incident that led to the drowning of the boat owner.

News reports have it that the deceased was allegedly arrested after he attempted to secure the release of his wooden boat impounded by the illegal bunkering task force set up by the Southern the Ijaw Local Government Area.

Agunza was also said to have hired out his boat to some youths, but the boat was used for illegal bunkering and got impounded and in his bid to secure the release of the boat led to his untimely death in controversial circumstances.

Spokesman for the deceased family, Silas Okiri, said the case was reported to Oporoma Police Station after the family discovered the decomposing body of Agunza along the Ofonigbene River in Southern Ijaw.

Okiri, who is the elder brother of the deceased, accused the two NSCDC personnel of complicity, stressing that they were unable to tell the family the whereabouts of the deceased while his mobile phones and boat were in their custody.

Source-http://pulse.ng/gist/executive-recklessness-two-nscdc-officers-over-murder-of-boat-owner-in-bayelsa-id3183063.html

Bayelsa Forum to Discuss Local Content

ORGANISERS of next month's Practical Nigerian Content (NPC) Forum, scheduled for Yenagoa in Bayelsa State have announced the lineup of speakers that will participate at the event.

The forum is scheduled for November 18-20.

Among speakers lined up for the fourth edition of the event include Seriake Dickson, the Bayelsa Executive Governor, and Diezani Alison-Madueke, the Minister of Petroleum Resources.

They will headline a list of speakers including Igo Weli (General Manager, Nigerian Content Development Companies), Antonio Pagano (Chairman Oil Producers' Trade Section) and Ernest Nwapa, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development & Monitoring Board.

Others include Ranti Omole (Chief Executive Officer/ Chairman OTC Committee, Radial Circle Group/ PETAN), Samuel Onyenwe (Community Relations Manager, Oando Energy Resources) and Taofik Adegbite, Chief Executive Officer of Marine Platforms.

Deborah Smith, spokesperson of the organisers, said at PNC, industry leaders would provide critical insights including how to ensure compliance with the Nigerian Content Act, whilst remaining competitive and driving their business forward in today's operating environment as well as how Nigerian stakeholders can capitalise on the opportunities that the Act provides.

They will hear from representatives across the value chain how they can maximise the potential of Nigerian Content.

The Bayelsa State Government is organising a Gala Dinner to offer a unique opportunity to rub shoulders with some of Nigerian Content's prominent thought leaders, trail blazers and regulators.

source-http://allafrica.com/stories/201410090459.html

Bayelsa Floats Firm to Provide 20,000 Jobs

Bayelsa State Government has incorporated a commercial security outfit, the Izon-Ibe Security Company Limited, to create 20,000 jobs for youths in the state.

This was announced in a statement on Thursday in Yenagoa by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Daniel Iworiso-Markson,

It named former President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Joshua Fumudoh, as Chairman of the company.

The company is expected to provide commercial security services and report all security-related matters on a daily basis in communities across the state.

"To be run as a well-structured and disciplined outfit, the company will generate about 20, 000 jobs for youths, who are expected to be deployed to various communities to carry out surveillance duties and monitor the critical infrastructure and assets of the government, the multinationals and other viable business concerns," it stated.

It added that the company's staff would also check cases of oil theft, pipeline vandalisation and other related crimes.

The statement noted that the operations of the new company would be useful and beneficial to both federal and state agencies, the multinational oil companies and other stakeholders.

It also listed other members of the company's Board as Geoffrey Yanga, a retired Rear Admiral, Governor Dickson's Special Adviser on Security Matters, Bernard Kenebai, Retired Major Lancelot Anyanya and IYC President, Eradiri Udengs, while Jephthah James would serve as the Managing Director.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201410031185.html

Tension in Bayelsa over alleged arrest of Dickson’s loyalists

The alleged ambition of a Senator representing Bayelsa State at the Sen­ate is creating tension in the state.

The senator said to be at the centre of the storm is allegedly interested in chal­lenging Dickson in 2016 governorship election. This is coming on the heels of a similar report linking anoth­er aide to the president who is also believed to be inter­ested in the 2016 governor­ship race to some unwholse­some activities.

While the senator was said to be leveraging on his closeness to Aso Rock, the presidential aide on his part reportedly claimed that the wife of the President, Dame Patience Jonathan had promised to deliver the seat to him. As part of his des­perate measures, the senator has been intimidating core loyalists of Dickson by using his connections at the Abuja headquarters of the Nigeria Police.

Already, a source said, four loyalists of the gov­ernor from Epie Kingdom have been arrested for ques­tioning by policemen from the Force Headquarters in Abuja. The source gave the names of the four persons arrested as Comrade Obadi­ah John, Mr. Oborku Oforji, Raymond Manifest and Aus­tin Eliot Sambo.

The senator was said to be uncomfortable that despite factionalising the pro-Dick­son group in Epie kingdom, key individuals with politi­cal influence had failed to join his camp.

The source said: “The senator is moving against people loyal to the governor using his influence at the federal level to get the police to hound these guys. What is interesting to know is that these boys are from Epie clan and he has succeeded in dividing their ranks to create two factions. He is hounding the leadership of critical groups in the clan. So, all these are part of his desperation to be governor as he continues to drop the name of the President. He is moving against the loyalists of the governor.”

The source said that the move was also aimed at coercing the arrested loyalists to abandon the governor and join the his camp.

“This is politics of in­timidation and it has started causing crisis in the king­dom. Though he is a senator, he is very far away from his people. His people don’t like him and that is why he is in­timidating them. The people he has induced their arrest are powerful in that kingdom. For instance, Com­rade Obadiah John is the Community Development Committee (CDC) Chairman. He is also the General Chairman, National CDC Forum, Epie Kingdom and the Protem Chairman, Epie Youth. He is reputed to be in control of 17 youth groups in Epie Kingdom. So, he is very influential.

SOURCE; http://sunnewsonline.com/new/?p=84725