Lawyers Direct NNPC Boss Kyari to Make Port Harcourt Refinery Operational, Give Ultimatum
- Amid fuel price hike, the NNPCL boss, Mele Kyari, has been urged to make the Port Harcourt refinery operational
- The Coalition of Niger Delta Youth on Energy Reforms and Transparency in the Oil and Gas Sector gave Kyari a one-week ultimatum
- The group, led by Barr. Dickens A. Opu and Barr. Werigbelegha Zinake, alleged that the refinery may be transformed into a blending plant for inferior petroleum products
Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.
The Coalition of Niger Delta Youth on Energy Reforms and Transparency in the Oil and Gas Sector has urged the group chief executive officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, to ensure that the Port Harcourt refinery becomes operational before the end of September 2024 as promised.
Source: Facebook
At a press conference jointly addressed on Monday, September 23, by Barr. Dickens A. Opu and Barr. Werigbelegha Zinake, the group lamented that, despite the billions of naira that have been earmarked and disbursed for the functionality of the Port Harcourt refinery, the refining plant remains non-operational.
Concerns about Port Harcourt Refinery
In a statement made available to Legit.ng on Tuesday, September 24, the group expressed concern about the energy crisis in the country caused by the non-functionality of local refineries, continued dependence on the importation of petroleum products, and the resulting cost implications for the country.
The lawyers noted that the failure of the Mele Kyari-led management of the NNPC to revamp local refineries has further worsened the country's energy crisis and impoverished the people of the oil-producing Niger Delta, who are forced to buy fuel at higher rates than most parts of the country.
The group alleged that there were plans to convert the Port Harcourt refinery into a blending plant.
They claimed that substandard petroleum products from Russia would be mixed with chemicals and sold to the people of the Niger Delta.
The lawyers expressed concern over the potential environmental impact of converting the Port Harcourt refinery into a blending plant. They fear that this move could expose the people of the Niger Delta to harmful chemicals from environmental pollution and degradation caused by the waste products released into the environment.
The statement read:
"We wish to state that we have it on good authority that the Port Harcourt refinery is being packaged to become a blending plant where substandard petroleum products from Russia will be mixed with chemicals and sold to the Niger Delta people.
"The Coalition of Niger Delta Youth On Energy Reforms and Transparency in the oil and Gas Sector frowns at such a disposition which is a dangerous trend that must be halted and addressed with a sense of urgency. The Niger Delta people are an important contributor to the revenue generation of the country and as such it must not be treated with disdain and levity.
"The time to act is now and it is our firm belief that the relevant authorities would act in the best interest of the Niger Delta people and the country at large."
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Group speaks on operation of Port Harcourt refinery
In a related development, Legit.ng reported that Dr. Ifeanyi Okoye, president of the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, shared his thoughts on the elimination of subsidies in Nigeria.
He said that Nigerians have been duped by the government into thinking that the Port Harcourt refinery will shortly begin operations.
He claimed that there is a great deal of corruption in Nigeria's petroleum industry as a result of the subsidy issue.
Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.
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Source: Legit.ng
