Make refineries functional to shut down illegal ones – INC

The Ijaw National Congress has called on the Federal Government to ensure the nation’s refineries begin to work to stop illegal operations.

Recall that the promises by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and Nigerian National Petroleum Company about refinery commencement have continued to witness multiple failures.

Since December 2023, NNPC, which is in charge of all the government refineries, has given Nigerians different dates, assuring citizens that the refinery would begin the sale of refined products soon.

In July, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC, Mele Kyari, stated categorically that the refinery would come into operation in early August.

Meanwhile, illegal refineries have continued to be operational, in a report by Saturday PUNCH, Nigerian military forces destroyed no fewer than 137 illegal refineries in a series of operations carried out between August 2023 and July 2024.

Speaking in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, the National Publicity Secretary of INC, Ezonebi Oyakemeagbegha, said that if the country’s refineries were functioning properly, there would be no need for illegal ones to exist.

He questioned why unskilled individuals managed illegal refineries while the nation’s refineries remained idle.

Oyakemeagbegha said, “In any way, the refineries will work to reduce the suffering, we appeal to the federal government to take all measures to ensure the refineries work and there is no reason why illegal refineries will exist.

“The refineries in River State, North and so on should work. I don’t see any reason why refineries shouldn’t work. Uneducated and ordinary people operate illegal refineries and they’re being arrested. If those illegal refineries can be operated by unskilled persons, why will refineries in this country not work?”

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