The Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, said that Shell, Mobil, Chevron and Total Energies are not genuine investors in the Nigerian oil sector.
Uzodimma made this known during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.
The governor alleged that some people he described as cabal were trying to sabotage the efforts of President Bola Tinubu aimed at sanitising the nation’s economy.
According to him, Shell and other oil giants have no regard for environmental laws in Nigeria, asking why they leave the onshore oil business for offshore.
Uzodinma said: “Let’s take the oil and gas industry for instance, is there anywhere in the world you go, and you see any filling station, you want to refill your car and you don’t see Shell, Mobil, Chevron, Total? How many of them are operating filling stations in Nigeria? Why are we isolated, and you call them real investors? Why have they taken to offshore operation, abandoning onshore operation if they are genuine?
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“You go to Houston, landing Houston Airport, you see oil locations, you see vegetables planted all over there, habitable for human existence.
“Fly to Warri, as you are landing Warri Airport, look at oil locations. Look at the sea, all the fishes, nothing existent, no fish there. The environment is degraded to criminal level.
“Are they what you call investors, people who have no regard for our environmental laws? Are those investors? People who are into double standard; applying different applications in other countries, applying degrading application in Nigeria.
“Is that what you call investors? Please if we don’t take our destiny in our hands, we will be doomed for it.”
“leaving because they can no longer benefit from foreign exchange disparity. They can no longer benefit from crude oil theft. They can no longer benefit from petroleum subsidy, pretending to be importing fuel when they were not importing anything
“Again, it is a blessing in disguise because the more they leave, the more opportunities the indigenous companies would have to participate.
“I think the earlier the artificial and fake investors leave, the better for Nigeria”.
