Again, Enang, Stakeholders Back Artisanal Refineries In Niger Delta

…Urge FG To Subsidize Artisanal Refinery License By 70%

ABUJA

Stakeholders in the management of oil and gas industry have stressed the need to scale up the activities of the modular/artisanal refineries in the Niger Delta for more economic benefits to the country.

 

The stakeholders also harped on the need for the Federal Government to consider the subsidization of modular/artisanal refinery license by 70% in order to allow artisanal operators to acquire these licenses.

 

These were part of the resolutions reached at the end of the second stakeholders’engagement on integration of modular/artisanal refinery operations convened by The Presidency through the Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Ita Enang, in Abuja.

 

Addressing the gathering, Enang explained that the aim of the meeting was to discuss ways out of the country’s present oil challenge.

 

He stated that the gathering was also focusing on the review of the causes of losses of revenue from oil due to irregular activities in the creeks and along oil pipelines and the effect it had on the nation’s economy.

 

According to Enang, the world is faced with an energy crisis and all the nations of the world are now looking to internal sources of solving their problems and Nigeria is not left out.

 

“Domestic refining, which we call artisanal refining, is part of the internal sources of solving these problems but theserefinedproducts are going into our generators, going into our systems, and we still call it illegal refining.

 

”Butwe are driving our cars with it and we still call it illegal refining. People are feeding from it and we still call it illegal artisanal refining.”

 

Enang said it was high time for the country to regularise the artisanal refined products for the purpose of saving the nation’s economy.

 

“It is time for us to meet and regularize it for the purpose of saving the economy,” hesaid.

 

In his remark, Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun, Prof Akpofure Rim-Ruke, who welcomed the idea of the forum, said it would salvage the challenge of fuel crises and loss of revenue.

 

According to him, the youths are using the local process of producing local gin to produce the fuel which is the local technology that works.

 

On the way forward, Akpofure said the institution had developed an indigenous modular refinery and it was already on and that the institution has all it takes to train the youths on it.

 

On his own, Executive Secretary, Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Engr Simbi Wabote, assured the stakeholders of the agency’s support to the full operation of modular refineries in the country.

 

According to him, the project is a passionate one not only for the oil sector but for the entire nation for a way out of the fuel crises and loss of the nation’s revenue.