Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre, YEAC, has commended the Federal Government for approving three modular refineries each, for six states in the Niger Delta region.
Recall that federal government recently announce plans to establish 18 modular refineries, three each in Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Cross River and Rivers States.
Reacting, Advocacy Centre who hailed the government, also called for the establishment of Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative, PACORDI, to innovatively modify and legalize artisanal refining in the Niger Delta similar to the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative, PAGMI, in the North.
Executive Director of YEAC, Mr Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, commended the Minister of State for Environment, Mrs Sharon Ikeazor, for her doggedness on the modular refinery scheme.
Fyneface, who is the facilitators of Project with Artisanal Crude Oil Refiners for Modular Refineries in the Niger Delta, assured that he will continue to collaborate with stakeholders to address issues relating to youths and artisanal refining for job creation and environmental sustainability in the region.
“The acceptance of the federal government to establish three Modular Refineries per state is one of the achievements and successes of our advocacy on Modular Refineries, because the government at the National Summit for the Integration of Artisanal/Modular Petroleum Refineries Operation in Nigeria into the national economy in March 2021 had insisted on one modular refinery per state, but we demanded and insisted on three per state, which had now eventually been approved by the Federal Government.
“We have been carrying out and implementing the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari, represented by Vice President Prof. Yemi Osibanjo since 2017 that he promised Modular Refineries as well as Minister of State for Environment, Mrs. Sharon Ikeazor who represented Mr. President at the inauguration of NOSDRA’s laboratory in Port Harcourt in 2021 for the formation of cooperative societies for modular refinery licenses with the establishment of three “Modular Refinery Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd” based on three senatorial districts in each state, that are now ready and waiting to receive these licenses for the real artisanal refiners in the Niger Delta.”
Advocacy Centre which operates in all nine states in the Niger Delta, also called for the inclusion of Abia, Imo and Ondo States in the next phase of the Modular Refinery scheme and removal of Cross River State from the pilot scheme.
“Cross River is not an oil-producing State. I, therefore, recommend without prejudice that it should not be part of the pilot phase of the project as announced by the federal government through the Minister of State for Environment, Mrs. Sharon Ikeazor.
“This is because, since the modular refineries are targeted at solving immediate problems associated with ongoing artisanal crude oil refining activities that are not currently taking place in Cross River State, it would be better to keep the state in view and focus on problem states.
“We recommend that in this pilot phase, Abia State where artisanal refining is ongoing, should replace Cross River State while steps should be taken without delays to extend Modular Refineries to Ondo, Imo and Cross Rivers States in the second phase to re-enforce good behaviour, reward the youths for not involving themselves in serious pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft, artisanal refining and associated environmental pollution including soot.”
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