[size=13pt]NLNG relocates HQ from Lagos to Port Harcourt[/size]

By Festus Eriye



Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) is moving its entire headquarters operations presently located at C&C Towers in Victoria Island, Lagos to Port Harcourt with immediate effect. The movement involves over 400 staff and would be completed by the end of November.

Authoritative company sources told The Nation on Sunday that the decision to fast-track the relocation is causing considerable unease within the company. It was the single item issue that came up for discussion at the NLNG board meeting which held in Dubai last week.

The board was reportedly divided over the wisdom of the sudden relocation. However, the Presidency is said to have come down on the side of those backing the movement. Originally, the transfer was to be effected in phases, with the process concluding in 2013.

The movement is part of the company’s measures to save costs, ensure greater efficiency by moving operations to the region where the NLNG plants are located. The company operates six liquefaction units (LNG trains) on Bonny Island in Rivers State where it produces 22 million metric tonnes of LNG per year - roughly 10% of the world’s consumption.

Staff opposed to the move – many of whom have resided in Lagos for very long - are said to be worried about the disruption of family life that the relocation would cause. Others are said to be afraid that their career prospects could be adversely affected by the movement to Port Harcourt. There are issues of job alignment between staff holding parallel positions in Lagos and Bonny.

Such is the level of anger and disquiet that the planned relocation causing that some senior management staff are said to threatening legal actions and, in some instances, resigning from the company altogether.

A senior manager who spoke to The Nation on Sunday anonymously said: "A lot of people are not happy with the way the matter is being handled by a select few. It is against the established practice and tradition in the company." A staff briefing is expected to be carried out shortly by NLNG management to inform workers on the modalities of the movement.

The movement which would be a boost for the Rivers State economy would affect Lagos State negatively as she stands to lose millions in corporate taxes paid by NLNG to the state government.

Nigeria LNG Limited was incorporated as a limited liability company in 1989, to produce LNG and natural gas liquids for export. It is jointly owned by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) 49%, Shell Gas B.V. 25.6%, Total LNG Nigeria Ltd 15% and Eni International 10.4%.

In recent years the company has been trailed by controversies over bribes of $180 million allegedly paid by the TSKJ consortium of engineering companies to Nigerian federal government officials between 1994 and 2004 to obtain contracts worth more than $6 billion for building the LNG facilities.

http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news/21564-nlng-relocates-hq-from-lagos-to-port-harcourt.html

This is the 1st major move to correct the wickedness of FG to the Niger Delta people.We are waiting for Shell,Agip,Chevron,NNPC,Nigeria-Sao Tome,Total etc. to erect their 30 storey headquaters in Port-Harcourt .

Nice and welcoming move. With the recent moves that have been going on, more easterners are going to be looking home.

hehehe!
Good one. . . more to follow.

We can't continue this culture of "nkita tachaa okpukpu, eze egbube ewu" (the dog will eat the bone, but the goat must suffer the toothache ).

Someone once asked "Can Lagos be a country on its own?" And something like this was the answer I gave "all the large companies will relocate and follow the oil". This is just a tip of the iceberg compared to what will happen if that scenario were to play out.

On the other hand, I think it is better for Lagos "as a state" and Nigeria "as a nation" if more companies relocate from Lagos into other regions. This will help reduce the pressure on Lagos and improve the economy in other areas. I expect more of this in coming years.

i give mend my 100 percent support to bomb out any oil company that refuses to relocate its headquaters within 24 months

Abagworo:

This is the 1st major move to correct the wickedness of FG to the Niger Delta people.We are waiting for Shell,Agip,Chevron,NNPC,Nigeria-Sao Tome,Total etc. to erect their 30 storey headquaters in Port-Harcourt .

I'm still packing my bags to return to the East from Lagos. The movement has started.

kettykin:

i give mend my 100 percent support to bomb out any oil company that refuses to relocate its headquaters within 24 months

My 100% support here!

lagos greatest asset is not fashola or awololo or any other godamnit name but its position as a formal FCt of which was built into the nations commercial nerve by amongst all the SEAPORT.

The relocation of nlgn no doubt will have a little effect, but what will bring lagos to its kneel wud be a deep seaport in Portharcourt or Akwa-ibom, linked to an Aba and Onitsha inland container port, and then Nnewi and Aba EPZs, that in place LAGOS will seize to exist, southwest will time-travel back to 1967 into an agrarian society, low standard of living, possibly renewal of slave trading ( trading their children- this time knowingly).

Every other step in that territory will be littered with high powered concentrated juju, rituals will be the order of the day. no more igbos to abuse hence they will turn on themselves, firstly to Ijebus ( as the black sheeps), then to Abeokwuta - for overshadowing the rest. soon the awori man wud declare his true status and ethnicity.

just imagine Lagos losing west-minister and all those tank farms !, yes, 78% of the contents of those tanks travel outside Lagos and SW, would it not be more judicious to transport it by a barge from portharcourt or Akwa-Ibom deep seaport to Onitsha oil tank farm, then proceed to lokoja tank farm - which wud cater for Abuja consumption , then to niger tank farm - which wud in turn cater for the north west. Onitsha wud also cater for the middle belt and the rest of the north.

Onlytruth:

hehehe!  
Good one. . .  more to follow.  

Yes just that I was expecting the foreigners in lagos to start relocating to their regions too.That will make me feel much more better towards reclaiming our boundary !

yea, more to follow, and WTF are they doing in lagos in the first place. They should be where their bussiness is

gidson12:

yea, more to follow, and WTF are they doing in lagos in the first place. They should be where their bussiness is

They are in lagos because the whole of ND is unsafe for them and their businesses.

~Bluetooth:

They are in lagos because the whole of ND is unsafe for them and their businesses.

that was then bro, the militants has all calmed down, and ph is very safe now for expertrates and oil coy, i guess thats wat NLNG is tryin to tell you, they are gradually coming back home

They have to be close to Bonny. good for business.

Great move, I wonder why their HQ would be in Lagos or Abuja.

These people go box themselves into a corner. In a way, I am going to enjoy this.

excellent!

It makes sense, anyway . Why was the HQ in Lagos initially??

nice move

The staff and d company would probably have to live through d " blackout" in PHC for d moment b4 things improve hopefully, and a big "hopefully it is. Nothing works in PH, even d state of d roads in d city are all shiiiit, if comments made on this forum are anything to go by . What that Governor has is a well oiled propagandist dishing out shiiiit as fast as it comes out of d Governor's Nyansh.

Awesome. decongest Lagos please.

please, let decongestion of lagos and sw start immediately. Good host we have been all this while. Now, let other regions also host the whole country.
Did someone just barked sw will time travel to 1967? I found it amusing at best.

jason123:

It makes sense, anyway . Why was the HQ in Lagos initially??

Yes.

next up: spdc

~Bluetooth:

They are in lagos because the whole of ND is unsafe for them and their businesses.

No way.They were there long before the militancy began.NNPC headquaters was transfered from Lagos to Abuja but the question remains why they should be there in the first place.

Unfortunate.

Good. Excellent decision.

Obiagu1:

My 100% support here!

Silly!

macjive01:

lagos greatest asset is not fashola or awololo or any other godamnit name but its position as a formal FCt of which was built into the nations commercial nerve by amongst all the SEAPORT.

The relocation of nlgn no doubt will have a little effect, but what will bring lagos to its kneel wud be a deep seaport in Portharcourt or Akwa-ibom, linked to an Aba and Onitsha inland container port, and then  Nnewi and Aba EPZs,  that in place LAGOS will seize to exist, southwest will time-travel back to 1967 into an agrarian society, low standard of living, possibly renewal of slave trading ( trading their children- this time knowingly). 

Every other step in that territory will be littered with high powered concentrated juju, rituals will be the order of the day.  no more igbos to abuse hence they will turn on themselves, firstly to Ijebus ( as the black sheeps), then to Abeokwuta - for overshadowing the rest. soon the awori man wud declare his true status and ethnicity.

just imagine Lagos losing west-minister and all those tank farms !, yes, 78% of the contents of those tanks travel outside Lagos and SW, would it not be more judicious to transport it by a barge from portharcourt or Akwa-Ibom deep seaport to Onitsha oil tank farm, then proceed to lokoja tank farm - which wud cater for Abuja consumption , then to niger tank farm - which wud in turn cater for the north west. Onitsha wud also cater for the middle belt and the rest of the north.

[size=14pt]You are damn silly. Watch as SW develop faster than you think when all your armed robbers cousins are flushed out of the region.[/size]

Akanbi_edu:

These people go box themselves into a corner. In a way, I am going to enjoy this.

[size=14pt]It will still not be representative of the ethnics in the Niger Delta to move headquarters of all the Oil Companies to PH as PH is not where the oil is produced. LOL Which one will be located in Warri, Excravos, Bonny, Eket, ati bee bee lo,  LOL
[/size]

[size=16pt]The folly of the move will be shown to the world soon. Even in the UK, Oil companies have Headquarters in various places: London, Aberdeen, etc[/size]

Good move, now they should worry about security, not light.

May i ask what about the staff&their various dependants who have since settled in lag?some have just paid a new term fee,renewed their rent,bought new houses and the list goes on.even the relocation allowance is minimal.anyway lets see how it goes

jason123:

It makes sense, anyway . Why was the HQ in Lagos initially??

I am surprised by this question, r u 4 real, so by now you do not know what they call hypocrazy from our SW brothers in this country?

in 1999 abubarka/abacha administration moved shipping council hq to abuja and the SW pple screamed to high heavens that there is no port or sea in abuja, obj came in and promptly moved it back to lagos.
Now major oil companies have their hqs in lagos including napims, since 1980s before militancy started in 2006, but SW pple in trying to justify this rediculus situation come up wih all kinds of foolish reasons as if they are talking to dummies.(they propable think they are)
1 No security in niger delta
2 Niger deltans are uneducated and some other funny stuff.

Can your shallow minded ways let u see how painful it is to produce cocoa on ur farms in SW and have cocoa house located in kaduna, where all high level decisions on the ccoa industry will be taken from,

Whenever u even attempt to justify such injustice just know that what go around comes around