Petrol scarcity: Stakeholders want FG to scale up activities of modular refineries in N/Delta

Stakeholders in the oil and gas sector have called on the Federal Government to scale up the activities of the modular/artisanal refineries in the Niger Delta for more economic benefit to the country and also as a way to combat petrol scarcity and environmental pollution.

The stakeholders also emphasised on the need to curb the activities of the security personnel involved in illegal bunkering in the Niger Delta.

This is contained in a communique issued at the end of Second Stakeholders’ Engagement on Integration of Modular/Artisanal Refinery Operations into the Oil and Gas Sector and Current Challenges of Revenue loss, Petroleum Scarcity and Environmental Pollution and Negotiated Way-Out.

The meeting was organised by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta Affairs in collaboration with the Presidential Amnesty Office.

According to the Communique, other resolutions after the meeting includes “need for formalization of the modular/artisanal refinery operators in Nigeria. Government should take inventory of the domestic modular/artisanal refinery operators and send them to the Federal University of Petroleum, Effurun (FUPRE) for further training”.

“Subsidization of modular/artisanal refinery license by 70% in order to allow artisanal operators to acquire these licenses.

“Need for continuous interface between the Federal Government and the operators of modular/artisanal refineries in the country to assist the government in curbing cases of illegal bunkering

“The government should minimize their threats in order to allow artisanal operators to come out to engage more with the government.

“Opening up of the Petroleum Industry process to allow for more participation including the modular/artisanal operators.

“Approve the implementation of the recommendations from the first stakeholders’ engagement.

“The Federal Government should approve the formation of the Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative (PACORDI).

“Foreign Technical Partners who are willing to invest in the oil industry in the country should be encouraged to partner with the artisanal operators with the involvement of the communities.

“The Federal Government through the Amnesty Programme has trained a lot of engineers, welders and fabricators hence should be included when the modular/artisanal refineries would be set up/formalized.

“Emphasis must be placed on the safety of the people of the Niger Delta in the operations of the modular/artisanal refineries”.

The Communique said the meeting aimed at “the examination of what needs to be done in addressing energy challenges in the country

“Identification of the challenges of modular/artisanal refinery operations on the environment, black soot and carbonization

“Analyzing the impacts of environmental degradation on agricultural productivity and land infertility

“Examination of revenue leakages/losses and what need to be done to prevent these leakages. And appraising the place of artisanal refining in the recently signed petroleum Industry Act”.

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