IPMAN says FG not committed to Seeing Refineries Work
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, has accused the President Muhammadu Buhari administration of lacking the commitment to fix the Port Harcourt refinery and other federal=government-owned refineries, after almost eight years in office.
This is as the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Chief Timipre Sylva has again shifted the planned commencement of operations at the Port Harcourt refinery from first quarter of 2023, to second quarter of 2023.
Reacting, IPMAN recalled that the same Minister had promised Nigerians that the Port Harcourt refinery will commence operations by December 2022, but failed, before shifting the goal post to 2023 Q1.
IPMAN Chairman in Rivers State, Dr Joseph Obele, said the federal government was uncommitted to making the refineries work, adding that it will only take a corrupt-free government to make the nation’s four refineries functional.
Obele urged the government to shut up and stop making promises, and to continue importing petroleum products from foreign refineries which are owned by their business partners.
He regretted that Nigeria remains the only critical member of OPEC without a functional refinery, which according to him, was shameful.
“The Minister of State for Petroleum did promised Nigerians that the Port Harcourt refinery will commence operations by December 2022, he failed.
“Secondly, he said by First quarter of 2023, he failed. Now he is saying second quarter of 2023, he will definitely fail.
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“They are not committed to seeing the refinery functional. They are comfortable importing from the international market because they have shares in those foreign refineries.
“It will take a corrupt free government to make our refineries functional, then and only then will consistent fuel scarcity be a thing of the past and Nigerians will buy fuel less than N100 per liter.
“We don’t trust them anymore, so they should stop making promises and continue importing from those foreign refineries owned by their business partners. Nigeria is the only critical member of OPEC without a functional refinery; we should be ashamed as a nation.”
