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From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has bemoaned the continued importation of petroleum products by the country, lamenting that the importation has worsened Nigeria’s forex crisis
The National Senate President of NANS, Elvis Ekundina, who stated this in a statement released in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Friday, demanded that the Federal government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) take concrete steps in repairing the country’s faulty refineries, insisting that only this would make Nigeria attain self-sufficiency in oil production.
The student body declared that Nigeria will not achieve rapid economic growth if it continues to import petroleum products from foreign countries.
NANS in the statement maintained that the Federal Government must address the current energy crisis caused by acute shortage of petrol in Nigerian market by not only repairing the country’s refineries, but also ensuring that they work at optimal capacity. It noted further that it is only when the refineries are effectively and efficiently run that Nigeria can produce enough petroleum products to meet the country’s daily consumption. Ekundina, however, pointed out that Nigeria’s energy crisis had worsened with the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government in May, leading to increases in the pump price of petroleum products.
“It is our belief that refurbishing and recommissioning our faulty refineries to optimal production level will resolve the nation’s energy crisis.
“This will also resolve the challenges the country is having with foreign exchange and the worsening naira crisis. “When we are able to repair our refineries and put them back to good use, Nigeria’s problem with fuel insufficiency and pricing will be resolved,” he stated.
