We’re not relocating NGMC Warri, NNPC assures host communities


The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has assured host communities to its Gas marketing Subsidiary, Nigerian Gas Marketing Company Limited (NGMC) that the report trending in the social media purporting planned relocation of the company’s office from Warri to Abuja is fake news.

NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, assured members of the host communities who are said to lay siege on the company premises to return to their normal daily activities, saying NGC office remains in Warri.

The NNPC spokesperson affirmed that the purported plans to spend N120 million as yearly rent and anotherN294 million to relocate NGMC to Abuja is false and should be discountenanced by the host communities as well as the general public.

Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, said the clarification became necessary in view of reports of barricade of NGMC Office in Warri by some members of the company’s host communities, stressing that they should not allow the malicious fake news to incite them against the company which has been carrying out its operations peacefully within the communities for years.

He affirmed that NGMC remained committed to staying and executing it business activities in the Niger Delta, saying the company was poised to sustaining the existing relations between it and its esteemed stakeholders and members of the public in the community.

Meanwhile, Dr. Baru, has charged the executive of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) to curb purveyours of fake news, saying such news items had impacted negatively on many organisations’ corporate reputation.

The NNPC GMD, who was represented by corporation’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Corporate Services, Mr. Isah Inuwa, disclosed this at the 2019 Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Freedom Awards Night and Dinner where he was honoured with Distinguished Friend of the Media Award at the event which held Monday in Abuja.

He expressed deep worry over unprofessional practice by some journalists in the media industry, stressing that such acts were responsible for the downfall of some credible and notable establishments in the society.

“Many corporate organizations have had their reputation dragged into the mud due to lack of professionalism in some sections of the media, a development which calls for urgent attention” he said.

The NNPC GMD, who spoke on behalf of other awardees challenged the NUJ as a professional body to urgently set up measures to curb the excesses in the social media platforms, noting that such ugly trend, if not checked, would in the long run affect the credibility and integrity of the union.  

Dr. Baru thanked the leadership of the NUJ for finding him and other awardees worthy of the honour, stressing that openness to the media was considered at the NNPC as a critical factor towards building robust and cordial relations with the corporation’s various stakeholders.

The NNPC Helmsman seized the opportunity of the event to restate the position of NNPC on the reports trending in the social media that NNPC plans to move its gas marketing subsidiary, the Nigerian Gas Marketing Company (NGMC), from Warri to Abuja.

Dismissing the relocation story as untrue, Dr. Baru, said that the purported N120million and N29million being peddled in the social media as costs of yearly rent and relocation were fake reports that did not have any basis in reality.  

He said NNPC had its fair share of what he described as “Yellow Journalism” as evident in the fabricated gas company relocation story which was capable of inciting the public, particularly, NGMC’s host communities, against the corporation.

Speaking earlier, the President of the NUJ, Mr. Chris Isiguzo, stated that Press Freedom Award was an initiative of the union designed to promote some of its key objectives. 

“The NUJ Press Freedom Award is a high-profile event organized to motivate journalists, promote press freedom and freedom of expression, stimulate good governance and democracy in Nigeria through recognizing courageous journalists and honouring friends of the media who have distinguished themselves through supporting and sustaining press freedom in Nigeria”, the NUJ President said.

Some of the awardees included: Director General, Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Agency, Engr. Chidi Izuwah; Executive Secretary/CEO, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, Ms. Yewande Sadiku; and Executive Director, National Film and Censorship Board, Alh. Adedayo Thomas.

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