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…Urges FG to hasten modular refineries project

An illegal oil refining site

By Chioma Onuegbu – Uyo

A Niger Delta group, under the aegis of Domestic Refinery Owners Association of Nigeria, DROAN, has raised the alarm over that some individuals and organisations are allegedly negotiating and encouraging illegal refiners to continue with the unwholesome business.

National Chairman of DROAN, Mr Godwin Sunday raised the alarm while addressing journalists on Saturday at the end of their meeting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital.

Sunday stressed that some stakeholders were even negotiating with some illegal refiners for percentage with a promise not to expose them, thereby encouraging to go back to the creeks to continue with the illegal business.

He, therefore, appealed to the Federal government not to further delay the promise of establishing modular refineries in the Niger Delta and integrating their members (DROAN) into the mainstream Petroleum sector if they stopped illegal refining in the creeks.

He stated, “We are concerned that some individuals, agencies, organisations are setting up task force and committees with the sole aim and intent of aiding and abetting illegal oil refining, theft, and pipeline vandalism.

“Government at all levels should investigate the activities of these individuals and organisations. We condemn it in its totality.
We also call on the entire people of the Niger Delta to condemn this unpatriotic act.

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“And we are appealing to the federal government to fulfil its own promise of establishing modular refineries in the nine states of the Niger Delta and integration of illegal refiners (kpo fire boys) into the mainstream Petroleum sector to curb further Environmental degradations, pipeline vandalism, illegal refining, and youth restiveness.

“On our part, we have fulfilled our promise to that we will not go back to the creeks and we have stopped illegal oil refining. So we expect that in no distant time government should also implement those things it promised us”

Sunday, however, applauded President Muhammadu Buhari for removing subsidy on petrol product, noting that at 60years Nigeria should not be importing Petroleum products from other countries.

“We salute the courage of the federal government led by President Muhammadu Buhari to bring the petrol subsidy regime to an end. We are appealing to Nigerians to support this decision of the government.

“If at 60 we are still importing petroleum products, it is very bad. It is unacceptable to us. We believe that better days are ahead because the subsidy money will now be channeled into other key sectors like education, health, and infrastructural development”,  he noted.

Vanguard News Nigeria.