Against the backdrop of reported plans by the Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas company (NLNG) to move its headquarters from Lagos back to Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, Mr. Ifeanyi Mbanefo, manager Corporate Communication and Public Affairs, explains the imperative of the planned move.WE gather that Nigeria LNG Limited will be moving its headquarters to Port Harcourt soon. Can you confirm this'Sure. That is right. We have already started moving. That movement will be completed before the end of the year. We have written our clients, customers, stakeholders and friends, including your good selves as an interface with the public.So, what informed the decision to move to Port Harcourt'The question is why did we come to Lagos in the first place' Everyone knows that Rivers State is the birthplace of Nigeria LNG Limited. Everyone knows that Nigeria LNG Limited will eventually return to Rivers State. It is a question of when, not a question of if.After 22 years of existence, after 12 years of production, after six trains with the design for the seventh train largely finished and awaiting Final Investment Decision, NLNG is finally moving to its birthplace; moving closer to its primary stakeholders. NLNG has always been in Rivers State. The company has an active presence on Bonny Island and in over 110 contiguous communities where it has its pipelines; it has a presence in Port Harcourt, so it is not its first coming to the Garden City. The bigger excitement is that it will have its own purpose-built headquarters. This is something this company deserves; it is something this country deserves. The company that supplies 10 percent of world LNG deserves a befitting home. The company that provides seven percent of Nigeria's GDP is big enough to own its office. And where else should this be if not in Rivers State where it gets all its gas from.Isn't the company worried about security issues in Port Harcourt and other parts of Niger Delta'Is anywhere safe in the world today' Not London where you had violent riots recently, not in New York where you had the infamous 9/11, not in Japan where commuters were gassed to death, not in Spain with Basque separatists. Not in Iraq, not in Afghanistan, not in Maiduguri or Abuja where compatriots are living in fear of Boko Haram. The world is at war with itself.But to answer to your question more specifically, we are moving to Port Harcourt because we know that Port Harcourt is safe. There are people living and working in Port Harcourt.Yes, Port Harcourt used to be a city where stray bullets left pockmarks on the walls, where the doors were locked tight and the windows covered with steel bars; a city of high walls and high gates. It used to be a city mothers won't let the children play outside because of fear of gunfire and gang wars. That was before Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi came to power. It seemed like centuries ago when foreigners and children were routinely picked up on the streets for ransom. Today, Port Harcourt is peaceful, progressive and prosperous.Making the allegation of security issues today betrays a deliberate refusal to acknowledge the wonderful work Amaechi is doing in Rivers State; a refusal to acknowledge the huge sacrifice the people of the Niger Delta are making to keep the economy of this great country going. We count ourselves extremely lucky that we are moving from one good governor to another good governor. I am talking of Amaechi and Fashola. These are two outstanding governors who, in my opinion, should one day be given the reins of power to do for Nigeria what they are currently doing for their states.What about the argument that going to Port Harcourt would mean a huge loss of revenue to Lagos State'Nigeria LNG Limited is a business; it is not a political party. We do not concern ourselves with politics. Nobody sets up a business worrying about who gets his tax. The only time business worries about tax is if it is excessive, or in some cases, if it can be avoided. This applies to people seeking tax havens. In any case, taxes are not free monies, they are meant to pay for services provided by governments. So, whichever government that provides the company and its employees services gets their tax, whether Lagos or Rivers. Any state that collects tax without providing amenities is robbing its citizens.But to answer your question directly, yes, there will be loss in tax revenue to Lagos. And Rivers State will gain more tax revenue. Because we will be using their roads, our children will be attending their schools; we will be drinking their pipe-borne water and using other amenities. We will be protected by their security. It is a straightforward case Governor Babatunde Fashola, I think, would understand. He is a major proponent of fiscal federalism. So, the argument that tax should not be paid in Lagos for gas that is produced and exported from Rivers State will resonate with him.We will still have a huge presence in Lagos though. Nigeria LNG Limited supplies 70 percent of cooking gas in the Nigerian market. The bulk of it comes through Lagos ports. Our partners are in Lagos. The functional products ports, the new and up coming ones, are mostly in Lagos. Nigeria LNG Limited does not define Lagos. It is not this company that made Lagos prosperous. Lagos is prosperous because of its geography, Lagos is prosperous because of the open mindedness of its people, Lagos is prosperous because of the vision of its leaders, and most importantly, because of its generosity.It is a popular saying that a river that will grow must lie lower than its tributaries. In the same manner, a city that must grow must welcome strangers. Money goes only where it is comfortable. Rivers State is conducive for investment. That is one of the reasons Nigeria LNG Limited and other companies are coming to Rivers State.What about MEND, Ijaw Youth Congress, and other separatist organizations'Oh! They are all right. We don't see them as separatists. You need to show an understanding for their issues even if you do not agree with their methodologies. We have lived with them for a long time. These are humans with brains. Contrary to street media reports, they are rational people who do not operate outside the realms of logic. They understand that we are in Rivers State for progress; they understand that we have the best interest of the people at heart, that our coming will play the same role we played in Nigeria when we took US$1.06 billion loan which opened up the country to lenders and foreign direct investment. We took that loan when this country was considered a pariah nation. Running a successful business from Nigeria gave huge confidence to the international community about Nigeria and made lenders more willing to give this country a chance. We hope other companies will follow in our wake. And that Rivers State will become even more prosperous. Nigeria is yearning for prosperous cities.We have a very cordial relationship with these organizations. The key to getting them on your side is doing the right thing. Having our headquarters in Port Harcourt is the right thing. These organizations are run by reasonable people, by educated people. Let me tell you a little story: I joined Nigeria LNG Limited in 1998 when it was under construction. I have traversed communities in Rivers State. I know most towns and most kingdoms from my time as a community relations officer. I have made friends in all parts of Rivers State. The people are friendly. I expect a warm welcome in Port Harcourt. When we started, we made it a deliberate policy to ensure that landowners along our pipeline routes were not marginalized.So, as a matter of policy, NLNG put together Right of Way contracts to enable land owing families look after our pipelines. So instead of mobile policemen and soldiers, our pipelines are looked after by land owners who derive income from protecting these facilities. These contracts have been running for years and the net effect is that our pipelines are not vandalized. When the owners have a stake in what you do, there will be no sabotage. You can count on fingers of one hand the number of times our pipelines have been sabotaged. We have survived by the grace of our landlords, the grace of our neighbours and most importantly the grace of God. We count organizations as partners. They will look after us.We built schools, supplied desks and educational materials in Abua, Ekpeye, Ogba, Ikwerre, Okrika, and Kalabari towns. Besides roads, water, and electricity, we also provide scholarships, build and renovate schools, train entrepreneurs ' we have an ongoing N500 million micro credit scheme for small businesses ' we are involved in culture also. The very first Rivers State Choral Competition in Port Harcourt was organised by NLNG and Rivers media. It was a huge success. In other places, we support the National Maritime College, Oron, we are working with the maritime authorities to create a viable ship register in Nigeria, so that shipping lines can safely fly Nigerian flags. We sponsor The Nigeria Prize for Literature and The Nigeria Prize for Science; we also groom and nurture local companies.We gather that some people in your company are uneasy about moving to Port HarcourtWhat do you expect' Change, especially if it is sudden, jolts people. But that is being managed very well through planning, consultations and engagements. We have offices in London, Abuja, Bonny, Port Harcourt and Bonny Gas Transport, Nigeria LNG Limited's wholly owned subsidiary has an office in Bermuda. From time to time, people get posted to these offices and to other places around the world. I have staff in Oman LNG Limited; I also have staff on cross-posting from Oman LNG Limited. You will find NLNG staff around the globe improving their skills. Transfers and cross-postings are normal and routine in our business. Some find them stressful; others don't. If people travel half way round the world to even Russia, they should be willing to work in Port Harcourt, I think. That does not in any way suggest that anyone will be left behind. We have a movement committee made up of representatives of all departments. It is working round the clock to ensure a stress-free, hitch-free movement of staff. Our people are our greatest assets; we treat them with utmost respect.Why the sudden, hurried move'Moving back to Port Harcourt has always been on the cards. A few years ago, the Board of Directors of Nigeria LNG Limited approved relocation of the company back to Port Harcourt. The company was given two years to move but there are issues that necessitated an adjustment in the time table. Writers will describe it as deus ex machina, a term used to refer to a narrative ending in which an improbable event is used to resolve all problematic situations and bring the story to a happy conclusion.
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