Miffed by what it described as systemic exploitation and marginalisation against the Niger Delta region, the Niger Delta Youth Congress (NDYC) has demanded amongst other things, the immediate relocation of the headquarters of the major oil companies operating outside its zone to the region.
Speaking at a world press conference on Tuesday, Comrade Israel Uwejeyan, the National Coordinator of the NDYC, said it was disheartening to note that non oil-producing states are not only playing hosts to the oil companies but reaping all the benefits that should ordinarily accrue to the oil-producing states in the Niger Delta region.
“We demand immediate and comprehensive action from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his administration to address these lingering injustices. The era of silence and complacency is over.
“We strongly demand the immediate relocation of oil companies headquarters and their affiliates back to the oil-producing states, It is an egregious insult to the people of the Niger Delta that oil companies and their affiliates, including oil servicing and oil insurance companies, operate from states that contribute nothing to oil production.
“These corporations exploit the resources of the Niger Delta while concentrating their offices, headquarters, and operations in cities like Lagos where they pay taxes, hire staff, and create economic value.
“The recently proposed tax reform bill, with its focus on derivation and consumption-based revenue sharing, underscores the urgent need for these companies to be relocated to the oil-producing states immediately. As it stands, the existing arrangement perpetuates the impoverishment of the Niger Delta states and we strongly reject this.
“Our demand for the immediate relocation of all oil companies headquarters to the oil producing states must be initiated and completed within the first quarter of 2025. No excuses will be tolerated.
“All taxes, including corporate taxes, VAT, and royalties, must be paid directly to the host states. It is only fair that tax revenues generated from the oil extracted in Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta, Akwa Ibom, and other oil-producing states remain within the region for its development following the proposed tax reform bill.
“The Niger Delta states must be empowered to monitor and regulate the activities of these companies within their borders to ensure environmental accountability and equitable practices.
“We cannot and will not continue to stand by as our resources are shipped out to enrich states that contribute nothing to oil production.
“Furthermore, we unequivocally demand the full activation of Warri and Sapele Seaports, It is inconceivable that in a nation as vast as Nigeria, maritime trade remains concentrated in one State. The Federal Government’s neglect of the Warri and Sapele seaports is a deliberate sabotage of the Niger Delta region’s economic potential.
“These seaports are strategically located and equipped to drive economic growth in the South-South and South-East, yet they remain underutilised due to policies designed to favor a particular state.
“We demand the immediate reactivation of the Warri and Sapele seaports to full functionality and it must be restored within this first quarter of 2025.
“The Federal Government and Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) must provide the necessary funding, infrastructure, and administrative capacity to ensure these ports are operational at the highest level and there must be a decentralisation of maritime activities.
“Lagos is not the only port hub in Nigeria. Diversifying maritime operations will decongest Lagos ports, reduce inefficiencies in trade logistics, and rightly distribute economic benefits equitably across the country.
“By activating these ports, Niger Delta states will have direct access to critical revenue streams, which can be used to fund infrastructure projects and social programmes.
“The Niger Delta is the economic lifeline of Nigeria. We have carried the burden of this nation on our shoulders for decades, and we will no longer tolerate being treated as second-class citizens in a country built on the wealth of our land.
“Lastly, we want to use this medium to strongly condemn the recent scrapping of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), as this is a glaring example of a move that will directly jeopardize the development of higher education in the Niger Delta and in Nigeria at large.
“TETFund has been a lifeline for tertiary institutions across Nigeria, providing funding for infrastructure, staff development, and student resources in institutions that have suffered years of neglect. By scrapping this essential funding mechanism, the Federal Government has effectively declared war on education, particularly for underfunded institutions in regions like the Niger Delta that depend heavily on TETFUND’s interventions.
“The NDYC will remain vigilant and resolute until the Federal Government and relevant stakeholders fulfill our demands. Nigeria can only thrive as a nation when all regions are treated with fairness, respect, and equity.”
