Don't Miss


Home   >   Business   >   Industries   >   Energy   >   Nigeria’s Refineries Must be Operational by March 2013 – President Jonathan

Nigeria’s Refineries Must be Operational by March 2013 – President Jonathan

By on November 9, 2012

President Goodluck Jonathan (m) and Oil Minister, Diezani Madueke (l)

The Presidential spokesperson Reuben Abati has said the government is working on the implementation of the various Petroleum sector reports.

He said the President wants to complete the Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) rehabilitation of three refineries in Kaduna, Port Harcourt, and Warri by March next year.

The Special Task force on governance and controls, the Petroleum Revenue Special Task Force and the committee on national Refineries are the three committees that submitted report last Friday.

Abati said: “The president has not only commended the committee on refineries, but he also made it clear that part of the determination of his administration is to make sure that Nigeria stops the importation of fuel and he subsequently directed the minister of petroleum resource to take that report and look into It and then come up with action plan as to what can be done going forward. He also directed that a technical report be prepared on how to get the refineries working. I just came back from a meeting now in the President’s office where the minister of petroleum resources together with her team made a presentation. The major issue at that meeting had to do with the refineries.

“The Kaduna refinery is able to produce per day now about 110,000 barrels per day, the Port Harcourt refinery 210,000 barrel per day and the Warri refinery 125,000 barrel per day and what steps can be taken to improve the capacities of these refineries to make them perform at their optimum function for the objectives outlined by Mr President to be achieved”.

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke was yesterday commended by some stakeholders in the industry for her efforts toward sustainable transformation of the oil and gas industry including her renewed commitment to the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

Mr. Daniel Agada, commending the minister said, “Members of the task forces are affiliated to different political parties but are time and tested professionals and technocrats, apart from the others from labour and civil society; they were all brought together to design the way forward for the oil and gas industry for greater good of the people of Nigeria.”