Delta State Governor, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has urged the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to re-establish its office in the state due to the numerous benefits derivable from the move.
Okowa made the call yesterday when the management of SPDC led by The Managing Director, Mr. Osagie Okunbor, paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, Asaba.
According to the governor, closing down its office in the state was not a good idea as the company still has a lot of business activities going on in the state, especially, loading its crude from the Forcados terminal.
While observing that Shell has an office in Lagos despite not having its operations in the area, Okowa observed that Shell still had a lot of activities in Delta State and as such, it was important for the oil company to re-open its operational office and show more presence in the state.
“We are glad that you (Shell) are still exporting crude through the Forcados terminal and still have other assets in the state, Shell cannot wish Delta State away from its business relationship, we have a long shared relationship with Shell as one of its founding areas in the country, your leaving Delta State has some economic impact on the state, we would be glad to have your office back to the state,” the governor said.
He added, “your visit today is very re-assuring, we will do our best to protect and provide conducive business environment and the best of services for investors in the state.”
The governor urged Shell and other corporate organisations to partner with the state in the areas of empowering the people, disclosing that the youths empowerment programmes of his administration has provided enough window for them to key in.
While disclosing that more than 60, 000 applications were received for the empowerment programmes, the governor stated that the programmes were well though-out where the beneficiaries would be made to have a changed mind-set that will make them dedicated to achieving desired results.
Okunbor had earlier congratulated Okowa on his emergence as governor and assured him of SPDC’s preparedness to support his administration’s agenda of a prosperous Delta State, stating that the company still had a lot of assets in the state despite divesting its operations
