National Summit recommends FG to formalize illegal refineries

By Uthman Salami

The national summit on the integration of modular refinery operations into the in-country oil refining programme of the oil and gas sector has recommended to the Federal Government of Nigeria to formalize illegal refineries and make the integrated practitioners to refine crude for the nation

This resolutions was contained in a communique and resolution made available to media after five weeks of the summit that was held on the 16th and 17th of March 2021.

The communique partly reads “that Federal Government should continually creat to engage with the illegal refiners with the aim to mainstreaming them into the formal processes.”

The summit further challenged the Federal Government to expend parts of the money that was set aside for security agencies and pipeline protection to scale up these illegal refineries.

The summit further proposed the employment of the integrated practitioners in order to begin to refine crude oil for the entire nation.

According to the communique, “the national assembly and other relevant stakeholders are to be engaged to ensure mainstreaming the relevant legal framework into the national legal system to ensure seemless Integration of mini and modular refineries into the national economy.”

The resolution further urged the relevant agencies of the Federal Government such as NNPC, PPPRA, NDDC, DPR, NASENI, NCDMB amongst others to identify and sponsor, as parts of their social responsibility these illegal refineries.

The resolution of the Summit urged the State Government to render support and establish at least one standard oil modular refinery to make product available locally.

The summit had in attendance, the vice president, Prof. Yomi Osinbajo who declared open the summit, Minister of budget and planning, Prince Clem Agba as well as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta affairs among other stakeholders in the oil and gas sector.