Stakeholders Task FG On Port Harcourt, Kaduna Refineries

Some stakeholders in the oil and gas sector have urged the Federal Government to give priority attention to the planned resuscitation of the nation’s ailing  refineries for full production in 2022.
The stakeholders expressed their views against the backdrop of the announcement by the Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mallam Mele Kyari, that the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries would be fully operational in 2022.
Former chairman of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers Union of Nigeria (NUPENG), Port Harcourt  Refinery branch, Comrade Alex Agworwor, who spoke with The Tide, said the government should make the promise and not politcise the state of the refineries.
Comrade Agworwor who is presently a national official of NUPENG, said the poor operational standards of the existing refineries in the country had made Nigeria to depend on the importation of refined products.
“Nigeria is estimated to hold approximately 37 billion barrels of proven oil reserve which is the second biggest in Africa. The country, however, imports majority of its domestic refined products due to lack of domestic refining capacity. This doesn’t create a good and promising picture of the country as a major oil producing nation.
“The Federal government, through its relevant agencies, should ensure that our refineries are functional, while the building of new ones should be considered,” he said.
In his own views, the Chairman of the Port Harcourt branch of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, (IPMAN), Comrade Emmanuel Inimgba, also called on the Federal Government to speedy up the revamping of the existing refineries in the country and build new ones to  enhance the capacity utilisation and address the deficits recorded  as a result of the poor state of the refineries.
“Despite Nigeria’s huge potentials in the oil and gas sector, the country still depends heavily on the importation of refined products for domestic consumption.
“The Federal government must make concrete effort to boost the capacity of our refineries to meet up the needs of Nigerians and cut fuel importation. This will also help us, the independent marketers, to have a liverage to perform effectively.
Another stakeholder in the oil and gas sector, Comrade Ali Nyorbana, called for active public /private sector collaboration in revamping the Nigeria oil and gas industry.
He commended Aliko Dangote for building a private refinery in the country, expressing optimism that the new refinery, “ will double Nigeria’s refining capacity to meet up the increasing demand for fuel as well as create job opportunities for the people “
It could be recalled that the NNPC boss had, during a facility visit to the Port Harcourt refinery recently, disclosed that full rehabilitation of the refinery would commence in 2022.
He pointed out that revamping the refineries was a mandate that the NNPC would work hard to actualize.

By: Taneh Beemene