A university don,
Professor Godwin  Igwe of the University of Port Harcourt has advocated for the establishment of modular refineries across the country to make petroleum product easily  available for the people.
Igwe who stated this while speaking  at an Oil and Gas forum in Port Harcourt, organized by the Institute of Petroleum Resources of the university said the modular refinery will be cheap to be established and maintained.
The professor of petroleum engineering who is also a lecturer at the Institute of Petroleum Resources noted that the modular refineries, if established and developed  will not only tackle the issue of frequent delay in importation, but will also create a level of competition in the sales and distribution of the product.
On how much it can cost to set up such modular refinery, the university  don explained that it can cost between $200 to s$210 million to be established, adding that such refinery will be easier to maintain.
He said that the processing involved in mixing the various stages of petroleum products in this modular refinery like Gaboling Ago, among others and their separation is easier in operations.
Igwe also expressed worries over the continuous importation of petroleum products into the country, pointing out that  “there need not to be importation of petroleum products if our refineries are working well”.
He, therefore, urged both federal and state government to have the political will in ensuring that the era of importation of petroleum product is over by paying  attention to the establishment of such refineries.

Corlins Walter