President Tinubu: Open letter on rehabilitation of refineries, By Deji Adeyanju

Port Harcourt Refinery

At a time when Nigerians are groaning over the huge cost of petroleum products, especially PMS, it is a huge relief to observe that the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries have come back to life, with the possibility of driving competition that will ultimately bring down the prices of petroleum products across the country.

Recently, the media was awashed with news of the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries and the subsequent production of petroleum product from the Port Harcourt refinery. Following my personal confirmation of the veracity of the stories, I am compelled to publicly commend President Bola Tinubu for rehabilitating the refineries.

At a time when Nigerians are groaning over the huge cost of petroleum products, especially PMS, it is a huge relief to observe that the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries have come back to life, with the possibility of driving competition that will ultimately bring down the prices of petroleum products across the country.

Having taken steps to revamp the refineries, the President must go further by blocking all illegal exploitation of the nation’s oil resources by non-state actors. It is now obvious that the Nigerian Navy is overstretched and can no longer protect our oil facilities alone. In this light, I call on the President to direct the army to maintain increased presence across our oil facilities and protect them from oil theft.

While commending Mr. President for the positive steps taken on the refineries, I urge him to take urgent steps to ensure that the life of the average Nigerian is improved, in line with his campaign promises.

Deji Adeyanju, a social critic and activist, wrote from Abuja.