Tony John, Port Harcourt
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has called on oil companies to respect the memoranda of understanding (MoU) signed with host communities to ensure peaceful and productive operations.
Speaking at the Government House, Port Harcourt yesterday, during a courtesy visit by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Silva, the Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari, and the Managing Director of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Osagie Okunbo, State governor declared that his administration would continue to develop the right environment for all investors to operate in the state.
“The oil companies should also respect the Memoranda of Understanding signed with the host communities.
“As the SPDC goes in, whatever they have agreed with the communities should be implemented. If they implement it, they will do their work. If they don’t implement, there will be another round of crisis. And then, they will call the government to come in.
“Ours is to make sure that people carry out their businesses in a very conducive environment. This is the role the Rivers State Government will always play”, Wike stated.
He said that the fundamental focus of Rivers government is for the OML 25 to be operational and productive. He regretted that for over two years, the oil facility was shut down and nobody acted.
“I don’t know the role of the security agencies in all of this. We will meet here and agree that the people should vacate the place and let Shell resume work, but the security agencies will do something else”, he said.
He noted that Rivers is a very peaceful state where oil companies have always been supported to carry out their legitimate activities.