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By Onozure Dania

The Ijaw National Congress, INC, has expressed dismay over what it called the systematic and strategic relocation of the National Petroleum Investment Management Services, NAPIMS, office from Lagos to Abuja despite the outcry against it.

According to INC, the move smacks of insensitivity because the South-South region of the country is rightly the warehouse of oil and gas in the country.

 INC’s Publicity Secretary, Ezonebi Oyakemeagbegha, in a statement, yesterday, said: “Unfortunately, the Federal Government in connivance with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, top officials are paying deaf ears to the continuous call for the relocation of the International Oil Companies, IOCs to the South-South.

 “The INC is aware of the planned movement of NAPIMS from Lagos to Abuja, as has since been masterminded by the Federal Government and its cronies, just as we are also aware that the Federal Government wants to use the flimsy excuse of the collapse of a structure situated close to the NAPIMS office building as a justification to relocate the office to Abuja.

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“The NAPIMS 36/38 Office at Gerrard Road is adjacent to the Ikoyi collapsed building, and as a follow up to the ugly incident, the NNPC had issued a directive, via the corporation’s internal memorandum, directing all staff to vacate the NAPIMS office and work from home, while the top management and a few other essential staff should work from NipeX office situate at 8/10, Bayo Kuku, Ikoyi, pending the outcome of the structural Integrity test carried out to ascertain the fitness of the building for reoccupation. This is rather very unfortunate.

“We are fully aware that the building is fit and very stable for staff to resume their normal duties, but Mr President, some top officers of the corporation from the North are bent on pulling NAPIMS out of Lagos at all cost and have failed to listen, hear or accept any advice with respect to the resumption of work at the NAPIMS Gerrard Ikoyi building, Lagos.

“It has come to our knowledge that property too small to accommodate the over 500 staff of NAPIMS has been acquired in Abuja, but rather than address the office accommodation need of the company, another building has been rented for the staff.

“It is also in the public domain that a secret matching order has been issued for all staff to vacate the Lagos office to Abuja. This is sad, very horrendous, despicable and wicked.

“We, of the Niger Delta and South-South region, will not continue to fold our hands and watch while our people are being treated like slaves and made to play the second fiddle role in a country that we all own.

“These were the same tactics used to relocated DPR from Lagos to Abuja, partially relocate the NGMC office to Abuja and move the Human Resources Department, which unarguably is the most critical department responsible for the recruitment and disengagement of staff.

“The case of NAPIMS, which is considered the most critical arm of the NNPC, driving the revenue of the Upstream Oil and Gas Sector of the nation’s economy has further indicated and demonstrated that our lamentations and outcry for the relocation of all IOCs offices to the South-South fell on deaf ears.”

“For the first time in decades, the Nigerian economy is experiencing its worst downturn. The Federal Government in the quest to stabilise the economy has resorted to borrowing millions of dollars. 

“The NNPC, as of today, generates about 70 per cent of the revenue flow into the Federation Account. NNPC is not a private company operating under a sole proprietorship and should not be spending public funds without proper accountability and due process.

“It is sad to note that the appointment of certain top directors of the corporation from a particular region to occupy sensitive positions and are made signatories to NNPC Account are decisions made to override the collective interest of all Nigerians.

“The absence of proper checks and balances of funds movement in and out of the NNPC treasury has led to misplacement of priority and insensitive purchase contracts between the NNPC and the owners of the Abuja buildings, that are intended to accommodate the NAPIMS staff after exiting Lagos.

“The above building purchase and renovation amount to over N8 billion, while the over 500 staff movement alone will also cost the Federal Government more billions of naira. This we consider to be very insensitive, lack of focus and particularity.

Vanguard News Nigeria