Amidst threats by a coalition of youths from the host communities of the multi-billion dollars Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, in Rivers state, over construction of Drydock in Badagry, Lagos, a water tight security has been put in place at the company’s administrative office located at the Eastern bypass, Port Harcourt.
It was observed on Friday morning that about 100 uniform and plain clothe detectives drawn from the Rivers state Police command accompanied by over Police 15 patrol vehicles had been deployed to man the entrance and exit of the company.
Besides the main entrance of the company, some policemen were also noticed at the NLNG roundabout.
A youth group in the oil rich state on August 3, had threatened to shut the operations of the multi-billion dollars NLNG over the plan by the company to site the Drydock yard in Badagry, Lagos.
Simeon Wilcox, leader of Bonny Youths Federation accused NLNG of insincerity and refusal to categorically make an official statement about the location of the N1.6 Billion dollar Drydock project outside the company’s area of operations in Rivers state and Niger Delta region.
A youth coalition under the aegies of Niger Delta Youths Leaders has vowed to stage protests in the entire operational communities of NLNG and even across the region over the plan to site such project outside the region.
Wilcox stated that youths in the region cannot be wallowing in abject poverty in the midst of plenty caused by unemployment when companies like the NLNG would initiate plans that could deny the needed employment.
The youth leaders in a joint press conference in Port Harcourt, the said a letter of protest has been sent to President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Assembly, the Speakers of House of Representatives and Rivers House of Assembly.
NLNG is yet to react to the allegation against it and threat of imminent shut down of the company operations.
But NLNG refuted the allegation by the youth leaders in a statement signed by Dr Kudo Eresia-Eke, General Manager, External Relations stating that the proposed Badagry DryDock Project which is purported to be owned Nigeria LNG is not true.
“Nigeria LNG has a singular business focus, namely processing and exporting LNG. It has no interest in investing in a dry dock anywhere in the world.
“The owner of the proposed dry dock in Badagry is a consortium of other Nigerian companies under the name of Badagry Ship Repair and Maritime Engineering Company (BSMEC) and which NLNG is not a part of.
“NLNG’s only interest was and still remains in encouraging investors to consider building dry docks in the country to save the nation’s foreign exchange and save local ship owners, like ourselves, the trouble of having to go overseas for dry dock services.
“Nigeria LNG would thus be pleased to see more dry dock projects emerge in different parts of the country, but will not be investing in any.
“It is thus fair to add that not being an investor in dry dock, NLNG cannot dictate to investors where to site their projects.
“Nigeria LNG therefore appeals to those who are issuing threats based on wrong information, to review their position in the light of this clarification. Besides, threats can only discourage other investors from coming to the region,” the statement read.
It would be recalled the Federal Government recently shared N359.4 Billion revenue of generated by the NLNG as income tax among the 36 states of the federation.
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