N-Delta indigenes urge Tinubu to revive PH, Warri refineries, wind PMS importation

A Coalition of Niger Delta Oil Producing Ethnic Nationalities Forum on Friday called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu take drastic steps to get the Port Harcourt and Warri Refineries in Niger Delta working immediately to revive the economy in the oil rich region.

The over 300 members of the forum  in a protest stormed the Zonal office of NNPCL in Warri, Delta State and expressed displeasure over the abandonment of PH and Warri Refineries by NNPCL.

The protesters led by Comrade Emmanuel F. Pathfinder, President/National Coordinator  urged the President  to give all  necessary support to local refineries, including Dangote Refinery so as to stop fuel importation.

In their protest letter, they also asked the President to compel NNPCL to comply with the National Executive Council (NEC) Resolution to sell crude oil to Dangote Refinery in naira to reduce the price of Petroleum products in Nigeria.

“We request that President Tinubu should overhaul the entire NNPCL to weed out corrupt officials who made have been conniving with the cabal.

“This protest today is to express our displeasure on the economy of Niger Delta that is being endangered following the grounding of PH and Warri Refineries. The deliberate killing and abandonment of our local refineries in Niger Delta by NNPCL in connivance with certain oil cabal must stop.

“These oil cabal benefits in Billions of naira from importation of refined products and would always frustrate every efforts by the Federal Government to stop PMS importation,” they stated.

According to them, it is worrisome that NNPCL led by Mele Kyari has failed to get PH and Warri Refineries working, but allegedly encouraging cabal to continue importing PMS.

“We also commend Alhaji Aliko Dangote for building his 650,000 BPD Refinery in Lagos, which is aimed to ensure sufficiency of fuel and putting an end to importation”

“The cabal are actively sabotaging every efforts to stop importation of refined products.  The President must do everything possible to dismantle the cabal because investors are gradually losing confidence in Nigeria”

“Nigeria cannot rely on PMS importation. Supporting local refineries to work will create jobs for youthful Nigerians, economic benefits and encourage potential investors in the refining sector”

“The huge funds that the FG had put into the Turnaround Maintenance of the Refineries without any results is worrisome”

The group lamented that the NNPCL had spent over N11.3trilion between 2010 and 2018 to fix the refineries with no head way.