We will revoke licenses of inactive refinery owners — Minister warns
Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of state for Petroleum resources (oil) has warned that the country will revoke the licenses of modular refinery license holders who are non-active since approved to operate.
The Minister made this known while fielding questions from journalists at the end of the three-day ministerial retreat at the State House conference centre, in Abuja.
Lokpobiri said, “That’s why I said unless we produce sufficient quantities, even if the refineries are rehabilitated there will be no feedstock. So my challenge is to ramp up production so that we can see how we can feed not only the big refineries but also the modular refineries, these are the real employers of labour and they will do the magic.
“What I have done is also liberalise the process to acquire licenses. Before I came they said sometimes it takes so long to acquire licenses, so I said I don’t want to know your face provided the requirements are met. Bring them to me. I will sign within 24 hours and I have signed them.
“I have also said I don’t want to give people licenses and they use them as souvenirs, if you are given a license you must use it within the terms, or else I will cancel it. Just like I didn’t know you before signing the licence, I will also cancel without blinking an eye.”
According to the minister, the easiest way to get out of the country’s petrol crisis is to increase production, stating that “if we don’t, the midstream and downstream will also fail must produce the crude to refine before distribution.”
On the rehabilitation of the country’s refineries, he said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited will be held accountable for that development.
The administration of President Bola Tinubu has reiterated its commitment to revamping the refineries in Port Harcourt. Kaduna, and Warri. Providing details on rehabilitating the refineries, Lokpobiri said the project was on course.
“Yes, the rehabilitation of the refineries, if you could remember, was started by the previous administration,” he said. “…and as part of the President’s directive. I have gone round all the refineries and from what they have briefed me Port Harcourt has 3 phases, so phase 1 will be ready by the end of this year.”
Lokpobiri added: “For Warri refinery, they said phase 1 will be ready by the end of the year. Phase 2 and 3 in Port Harcourt will be ready next year and the whole of Kaduna refinery will be ready by the end of next year. That is what they said and I am holding them accountable to their own words.
“I will be going there in the next few weeks. I go there regularly and sometimes without a schedule so that nobody plans for me. I just appear to see what is going on.
“I believe that those refineries, if we can achieve some level of rehabilitation by the end of this year, will also improve our domestic refining capacity. But that is not even the problem, Dangote refinery too is coming,” he said.
