Victor AHIUMA-YOUNG

TRADE Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, has accused the Federal Government of Nigeria, of deliberately undermining local refining of petroleum products in the country and aiding the gang up against the Nigerian people by the Oil cartel that are bent on ensuring that local refining remains a mirage.

TUC argued that some of the Oil Majors have said that they do not want to put up new refineries in Nigeria, because there is presently a refining glut the world over, asking “if that is the case internationally, is there a glut in Nigeria?”

President-General of TUC, Comrade Peter Esele, in a chat with Sweetcrude, recalled that Nigerian workers and masses had more than in any other sector of the nation’s economy fought countless battles with the federal government over the manner this Industry was administered.

According to him, “We have fought the various historical battles against the mindless penchant of those in power to foist on Nigerians increasing prices for Petroleum products all disguised as subsidy withdrawal. “Recall our battles against the forces of deprivation and agents of exploitation last January concerning the purported subsidy withdrawal. Remember the arguments and the debates.

Remember the lies about daily consumption of PMS, daily production by our refineries, the actual cost of bringing the products, the padding of prices through the various less than transparent processes of lightering the Mother vessels, the daughter vessels and the granddaughter vessels, remember our postulations on the impacts of this on the nation’s economy and the subsequent rebuffs of the government champions.

“If you have remembered all these, do remember and do not forget in a hurry the revelations of the various National Assembly probe panels and the Can of Worms that got all of us gasping for breath. Remember and do not forget the latest report of that National Assembly probe. All these point to one thing, that Nigerian workers were right and the government and their spokesmen were wrong.”

“Until Nigeria gets it right with the Oil and Gas sector, it will be difficult for the nation to move forward. There is no other sector of the nation’s economy that has experienced the kind of sleaze and opaqueness that is going on in the Oil and Gas industry. Entrenched interests and cabals who have captured this sector are not interested in our collective wellbeing, but are only interested in their selfish permutations and interests.

That is why we are not surprised that even after Nigerians had spoken vehemently and consistently against the continued reliance on imports of petroleum products and the neglect of our refineries, that some people in government are still telling us how impossible it is for Nigeria to invest on new capacities for domestic refining.

These people and their private sector cronies are presently amassing more capacities and facilities for the reception of imported products rather than focusing on how to increase refining capacity internally to boost jobs and jump start the economy leading it on the path of revival and self-sustenance.”

According to Comrade Esele, “We want to categorically state that this is a gang up against the Nigerian people by the Oil cartel who are bent on towing the path of easy money. Even when Oil Majors contend that new refineries are not attractive, the answer is very clear. It has however been established that indeed that it is not only possible to build refineries in Nigeria, it is also possible to run them profitably.

It has also been proven that indeed refineries must not have to cost billions of Dollars as suggested and in fact insisted upon by some Hon. Ministers in this government. There are refineries that cost a few million Dollars, just around $5M (five million US Dollars).

They are called modular refineries and fortunately, the first of its kind started operations last January and is presently running at Ugbele in Bayelsa State and as the Managing Director said, they are making good profits from this operation.