To discuss the condition of the country’s four refineries, the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Midstream) will convene on Thursday.
Due to disputes about their production capacity, the four state-owned refineries in Port Harcourt (two), Kaduna, and Warri have recently been the focus of controversy.
When the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited executive, led by former Group Chief Executive Officer Mele Kyari, announced a few months ago that the refineries in Port Harcourt had resumed refining crude products, Nigerians were thrilled. However, Dangote Group President Alhaji Aliko Dangote recently dashed that hope when he stated that the refineries might never operate again.
This caused Henry Okojie, the Committee Chairman, to announce that his team was prepared to begin an inquiry into the condition of the refineries, especially in light of a comment attributed to Bayo Ojulari, the current GCEO, suggesting that all four refineries may be sold.
Ojulari had voiced concerns about the lack of technical advancement, but he did not go so far as to claim that the four refineries had the capabilities necessary to compete in the intricate petroleum refining industry of today.
“A meeting of the Committee would enable members to bare their minds on the way forward, with national interest being the overriding priority,” Okojie said in an interview.
He said, “Like I stated recently, this Committee was set up by the leadership of the House of Representatives, symbolised by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, GCON, to serve the interest of the Nigerian people. We are out to make sure that whatever decision we take serves the interest of our people, on whose behest we are at the National Assembly today.
“The Committee will meet this week, hopefully by Thursday, to consider all issues before us concerning the state of the refineries.
“There are reports that over $18 billion has been spent on turnaround maintenance of the refineries. If this is the case, why are they not working? If selling them is a better option, we will know. But until we investigate the situation on the ground, we cannot make a decision.”
All Progressives Congress member Okojie urged Nigerians to exercise patience and cautioned against politicising the matter, claiming that the Federal Government has not decided how to dispose of the assets.
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Okojie pointed out that Ojulari’s comment that the sale of the refineries could not be ruled out outright was not the Federal Government’s stance, seemingly in response to a statement released by the African Democratic Congress cautioning against the sale.
“It is not time for election yet, and I don’t think it is helpful to politicise this matter. The President Bola Tinubu-led government has not said it is selling off the refineries. The NNPCL’s GCEO merely said sale might be an option.
“Our Committee has work to do and we will do it in the best interest of our beloved country,” he added.
He also noted that the administration of President Bola Tinubu will ensure that the good of Nigerians supersedes any other consideration.
According to him, “Mr President has taken significant steps for the betterment of Nigerians since his inauguration in 2023. We saw what he did with the tax reform initiatives. In the same vein, the Commander-in-Chief will take a broader look at the state of the refineries and make the right call.
“As a Committee, we will assist Mr President in this regard because for us in the parliament, we have our role to play in the realisation of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the APC-led government.
