N’Delta youths allege wastage of $3b on comatose refineries 

Tinubu urged to probe TAM contracts awarded by NNPCL

Aggrieved Nigerians, under the aegis of the Coalition of Niger Delta Youths Against Poverty, Insecurity and Environmental Degradation (CONDYAPIED), have decried the alleged wastage of over $3 billion to fix the nation’s comatose refineries.

Consequently, Energy Reforms Advocates (ERA) and APC Youth Vanguard for Change (APCYVC) urged President Bola Tinubu to investigate the persistent failures of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) to restore the Port Harcourt and other local refineries, despite the huge spend on Turn-Around Maintenance (TAM).

Led by Coordinator, Jonas Igariga, and Jack Opobo, the coalition called on the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of NNPCL, Mele Kyari, to tender his resignation letter and apologise to Nigerians.

The coalition expressed disappointment over the alleged failure by Kyari to operationalise the Port Harcourt Refinery before the end of September 2024, as promised.

Kyari had, on many occasions, assured Nigerians that the Port Harcourt refinery would start local refining and that petroleum product prices would drastically reduce before the September 2024 deadline.

One month later, none among the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries is functioning, leaving refining for only Dangote Refinery and marketers still importing refined petroleum into the country.

The coalition averred that, despite huge funds injected into the Port Harcourt refinery, NNPCL preferred importing refined products to making the local refinery operational.

It claimed that the NNPCL cabal and their importers were deliberately sabotaging President Tinubu’s good intentions by creating queues and ensuring that Nigerians bought the product at any price fixed by the oil lords.

CONDYAPIED expressed concern about the energy crisis in the country caused by the non-functionality of local refineries’ continued dependence on the importation of petroleum products, and the resulting cost implications for the country.

ERA and APCYVC expressed concern over the $2.9 billion approved in 2021 to rehabilitate the refineries, which remained non-functional despite NNPCL’s assurances.

In a letter addressed to the President, they lamented the continuous decay within Nigeria’s petroleum sector as a reflection of the persistent failure by NNPCL and its management led by Kyari.

Convener of ERA, Opialu Fabian, and his APCYVC counterpart, Ezewanka Ugochukwu, who signed the letter, said the actions of the NNPCL led to economic sabotage, health hazards and environmental risks due to the importation of adulterated fuel.

They criticised NNPCL’s repeated promises and prolonged inaction, citing systemic failure and corruption within the leadership.