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PENGASSAN,IPMAN Bicker Over Sale Of Refineries
Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike (middle), with Chairman, Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers and Amanyanabo of Opobo, King Dandeson Douglas Jaja (left) and Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Hon John Bazia, during the opening ceremony of the 102 quarterly meeting of the council in Port Harcourt, recently. Photo: Ibioye Diama
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria has opposed the sale of the refineries as scrap as suggested by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria.
PENGASSAN said it is a fraudulent way of ripping the country of its national assets.
Speaking on the sale of refineries, the PENGASSAN National Public Relations Officer, Comrade Emmanuel Ojugbana, described the call by IPMAN as sabotage against national interest.
Ojugbana lauded the efforts of the government in ensuring that the four state-owned refineries are back on stream, especially with the recent report credited to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, that the Kaduna and Port Harcourt Refineries will soon commence production after a long while.
Comrade Ojugbana said: “Nigerians need to ask the IPMAN leadership why they want the refineries which can be said to be in good form now to be sold as scrap. Even when the government has shown that the refineries can work and take care of 75% of the nation’s local demand of refined products.”
He noted that the proof that the refineries are still viable and profitable was exhibited by the Port Harcourt Refining Company, which posted a net profit of N11.2 billion for December 2014, representing N8.2 billion or 250 per cent above the N3.2 billion posted by the company in preceding November 2014, adding: “This was attributed to the improved financial performance for the phased rehabilitation programme, which was done by the workers.
“The challenge confronting the functionality of the refineries is not the ownership. We have examples of countries even in West Africa such as Ghana and Chad Republic, just to mention a few where refineries are owned by the government. The refineries in those countries are not only functioning but Nigeria even imported from them in the past.
“IPMAN should know that aside from the challenge of Turn-Around Maintenance (TAM) of the refineries, adequate and regular supply of crude which is the main feedstock is another major impediment to the efficient and effective operation of the refineries.”
The union leader stated that workers in the refineries are poised not only to produce refined products but also to add the needed value to the crude oil, adding that the adverse effect of rationing or not feeding the plant with crude oil is that the plant remains idle for long.
“When the plant is idle for too long, this breeds residual faults and problems whenever there is an attempt to start up, since the design of a refinery is better when it is continuously operated. We are again demanding adequate and regular supply of crude oil to the four refineries to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians and reduced or eliminate subsidy payment, considering the plunge in global oil prices.”
Ojugbana also challenged the government to grant the managements of the refineries autonomy for effective accountability while sustaining the rehabilitation process already initiated.
“If any of the refineries fails to pay back the funding (if granted financial autonomy) and refuse to make commensurate returns to the NNPC within one year, the government is free to apply appropriate sanctions,” he said.
Ojugbana, who reminded IPMAN of earlier privatisation done by government in other sectors such as the Ajaokuta Steel Company, NITEL and NIOMCO, said PENGASSAN is not against full deregulation of the oil and gas industry, but will resist sale of functional national assets to economic saboteurs who are enemies of Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers yesterday urged the Federal Government to rehabilitate federal roads in the country to ease transportation of petroleum products.
Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, the South West Chairman of the union, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos.
Korodo said the rehabilitation would reduce unnecessary delay of petroleum tanker drivers, who lose a lot of time on the roads before getting products to their final destinations.
He said: “Most of the federal roads plied by petroleum tankers have become death traps and this is causing a lot of accidents to our tanker drivers.
“Oshodi-Apapa Expressroad, Okene-Lokoja and Owo-Akoko roads are in deplorable conditions.
“Government should ensure that all these roads are repaired this year to ease the movement of all vehicles plying the roads.”
The chairman urged the Federal Government to strive harder to protect pipelines of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation from vandals across the nation.
He said this would return normal loading activities at all abandoned NNPC depots nationwide.
Korodo also urged the Federal Government to ensure job security for workers in the oil and gas industry and drastically reduce the issue of contract staffing.
The chairman said the union would give adequate support to the government to make it succeed in its efforts to keep Nigerians smiling.
He urged the Department of Petroleum Resources to withdraw or cancel the licence of any independent marketer that tries to frustrate its efforts.
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.