By SIMON EBEGBULEM & GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

BENIN—MINORITY Whip of the House of Representatives, Mr. Samson Osagie, has described the call by some communities in Warri, Delta State, on President Goodluck Jonathan to relocate the headquarters of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, a subsidiary of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, from Benin, Edo State, to Warri, Delta State, as illogical and unpatriotic.

Osagie, who represents Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode federal constituency, Edo State, in the National Assembly, in a statement in Benin, said: “As a representative of the largest oil and gas bearing constituency in Edo State that is, Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode, I find the reasons for this call as not only illogical, but completely unpatriotic.

“At a time when we should be concerned with the building of bridges of unity, it is preposterous that our kith and kin in some communities in Warri are calling on the Federal Government to halt the citing of the headquarters of a federal agency in Edo State.

“I wish to humbly advise Mr. President and his Minister of Petroleum Resources never to hearken to these demands. They are borne out of selfish motives and cannot be justified at all.”

He insisted that Edo State and its people were hospitable and were always ready to provide the NPDC and indeed, any government agency, the enabling environment to operate.

“Besides, our dear compatriots in Warri should not give the impression that what is good for the goose is not good for the gander after all. The Petroleum Training Institute and the University of Petroleum Technology, the Nigerian Gas Company, The Warri Refinery and a host of other government agencies are located there. Were Edo and Delta states not one state (Bendel) until 1991?” he quarried.