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By Sunday Ani
Following the calls by certain persons for the sale of the Port Harcourt Refinery, a group of patriotic Nigerians under the aegis of Network of Concerned Citizens (NCC), has urged the Federal Government and the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) not to accede to such demands.
A statement by the secretary of the group, Dr David Kingleo Elijah, stated that such a move was tantamount to moving the country backwards. It, therefore, urged the management of the NNPC to complete the high-grade rehabilitation and retention of the plant.
The group further said none of the national assets should be sold, but rather preserved for the future generations. It stressed that selling such a national patrimony would only benefit a select few to the detriment of the country.
“Selling the refinery, which is one of Nigeria’s most critical national assets could spell doom for the country’s strategic interests and leave her vulnerable to exploitation by hawks in the sector.
“If only a few private companies control the energy sector, that could have disastrous consequences. It could lead to a monopoly, whereby prices could be arbitrarily fixed, thus harming the consumers,” the group stated.
The NCC argued that making the refinery operational would naturally stabilise the price of petroleum products and reduce dependence on private refineries, which does not guarantee national energy security.
“The first thing to do is to pay the contractors their outstanding dues. Thereafter, they should be mobilised back to site to finish whatever outstanding job.
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“The Port Harcourt Refinery should be immediately revived and avoid unnecessary delays that could sabotage the vision of President Bola Tinubu.
“To be clear, during the time the refinery was operational, economic activities boomed within the host communities, petty traders celebrated and people were engaged. More importantly, prices of petroleum products were stable and on average as industry players competed
“The Port Harcourt Refinery, if fully operational, can provide jobs and generate revenue for the government. Selling them could result in job losses and a reduction in government income,” it stated.
The group recalled that privatisation carried out in the past did not favour the country as it was fraught with irregularities.
It noted that not much benefit, if any, accrued from national assets, including the Eleme Petrochemicals Company and various components of the former NEPA, sold by previous administrations.
It further said that ordinary people were the worst for it because national patrimony, of which they were part owners, ended up in the hands or custody of a few powerful individuals.
Emphasising that such acts is a betrayal of the trust placed in leaders, the NCC remarked that there was nothing to show for all the things the previous administrations government had sold off, and that is why the country is still borrowing money, and the average Nigerian is pauperised and frustrated.
“Of course, no one can guarantee that the process of selling will be transparent. Moreover, the government has invested good money on refinery rehabilitation. So, it is too late to contemplate selling it now.”
