The choice of two Nigerian private firms to build refineries that would generate 217,000 barrels of oil per day in Port Harcourt and Warri, has been faulted.
Speaking with The Tide in an interview, in Port Harcourt over the weekend, a grassroots leader, Pat Obiene, noted that the move would only serve to delay the progress of other areas of development already okayed by the Federal Government.
According to him, “we, who have been grassroots leaders in the Niger Delta understand that would not really help them to achieve their goal, rather it is important that they are patient to take it one at a time according to the extent of the conflict before them”.
He observed that there are more illegal refineries popularly known as “kpo fire” now than ever before, which he stressed, makes it important for the Federal Government to focus on modular refinery owners.
Obiene emphasised that bunkering activities in the Niger Delta needed to be addressed to ensure stability in the oil sector of the nation’s economy.
He continued, “in order not to defeat the Federal Government, good intention, we think that in as much as it is a good idea to increase production capacity, priority should be given to the illegal crude oil refiners so that it brings stability even to the private investors that would own the two modular refineries the Federal Government is talking about”.
He appealed that the Federal Government should concentrate their efforts in addressing the issue of illegal refining of crude oil in the Niger Delta.

Tonye Nria – Dappa