Grant Modular Refineries’ Licences in Niger Delta, Group Tells FG

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
The Ogoni Liberation Initiative (OLI) has urged the federal government to grant licences to operators of modular refineries in the Niger Delta as a way to reduce unemployment rate in the region.

The group also stated that by granting the licences, the illegal oil refining operators would be transformed into cooperative, which would benefit the government, adding that crime rate would reduce and the country would generate more revenue as operators pay taxes to the government like other oil multinational companies.
President of OLI, Dr. Douglas Fabeke made the call yesterday, at the end of a stakeholders’ meeting of the Ogoni host community, held in Port Harcourt.

Fabeke who lauded the efforts of the federal and Rivers State government in tackling the menace of illegal refinery, stressed that modular refineries, if legalised would end the economic sabotage experienced in the country.
He said: “To reduce these illegal refineries, for example, Niger Delta states are oil states; government should set a platform that will be easier for private investors and private sector partners to come into oil and gas industries, setting up modular refineries, giving them licences and reducing the procedures that can be easier for investors to come into this business.

“We already have a proposal we sent to the government and our proposal is coupled with industrial fabrication for modular refineries. That means we can build the modular refineries here and also fabricate the part and this will create more jobs.

“Like in Ogoni, we don’t have a modular refinery and the Eleme Petrochemical Refinery is not working. The government cannot manage its refineries, Nigeria should not be a country where fuel becomes a problem, there is no need to import fuel because we have the crude oil.

“Government should bring up a policy that will enable individuals to go into modular refinery and also refine our oil here. It is also going to reduce the burden and cost on the government by so doing this, it will reduce unemployment.

“Now you have destroyed all the illegal refineries and bunkering, the boys are on the streets, they will actually enter into another crime because they want to survive, they have seen money.

“So, if government can implement that proposal that each of the states in the Niger Delta should have a refinery, it would create a platform that will be easier for investors to come in and invest.”

The group advised other Niger Delta states to emulate steps taken by Rivers government in fighting illegal refinery activities which has reduced the air pollution for some time now.

“There was a time that the federal government planned to build six modular refineries in Niger Delta, and Government cannot do this thing by themselves,” he added