Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, has affirmed that integrating Artisanal Refiners into the nation’s downstream oil and gas sector, will promote local content and encourage the use of home-grown technology.
Osinbajo made this remarks in Abuja on Tuesday while virtually declaring open the two-day National Summit On The Integration Of Artisanal/Modular Refinery Operations Into The Downstream Oil And Gas Sector.
While assuring that all resolutions of the summit would be forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari to initiate a favourable feedback, he noted that the Federal Government has set aside an intervention fund to support the initiative.
“This will also eliminate shipping cost and create employment opportunity in the Niger Delta,” he added.
In his keynote address, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and Economic Diversification, Sen. Ita Enang noted that the engagement of the youths would mean a “cease fire in a war against the national economy”.
“The activities of the ARTISANAL refiners have posed great danger and loses to the National treasury via bursting of crude oil pipelines, taking the oil and refining crudely and illegally, selling same without remittance to the Federation Account and throwing the components they cannot process into the environment thus damaging the environment.
“We are told that these modular refineries do not have installed the Catalytic cracking system or components capable of breaking down or finely refine petrol, kerosene and the entire value chain, including petrochemicals. And the ARTISANAL REFINERS have same problem but some are able to improvise and refine petrol, sell at lower prices because of source of crude.
“The other products are then thrown into the environment causing immeasurable pollution which NOSDRA and HYPREB are now addressing at high cost to the Nation, ecosystem and livelihood of the host communities,” Enang added.
Interim Administrator of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Effiong Akwa, lamented that at least 50,000 Niger Delta youths are currently engaging in illegal refining.
“This gesture will save lives in the Niger Delta, especially the cat and mouse game between youths and security agencies in the country,” he added.
