Michael James
31 January 2019, Sweetcrude, Lagos — As part of its effort to support the government’s ongoing agenda geared toward improving the downstream value chain, OVH Energy has reiterated its support and commitment for operational efficiency in the sector.
The Company made the call at the just concluded 2019 Nigeria International Petroleum Summit (NIPS), held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja
The theme of this year’s summit was “Shaping the Future through Efficiency and Innovation”.
Speaking during a panel session with the theme: “Imperatives of Local Crude Oil Refining”, Huub Stokman, Chief Executive Officer, OVH Energy Marketing, emphasized the need to review the policies concerning importing refined petroleum products.
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According to him, “There have been attempts to regulate the industry in a bid to ensure sustainability and innovative growth. However, there is an urgent need to develop Nigeria’s capacity to refine crude oil locally. This will bring about a great financial and socio-economic impact not just on the petroleum industry but also on other sectors of the economy.
This is even more critical now taking into consideration the costs of crude prices in the global marketplace, which means an increase in the amount spent on importation of petroleum products”.
Mr. Stokman further stated that the discussion around the refining industry is the first of the 7 Big Wins developed by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, to enable a stable environment that will maximize investment opportunities in the oil and gas industry and generate increased growth in the Nigerian economy.
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“There is no viable refining if we do not talk about deregulation and removing fuel subsidy. As one of the biggest economies in Africa, we can justify the reason to have a viable refining industry. There is a need to invest in refinery infrastructure in order to have the capacity to produce clean fuels”, he further added.
Mr. Stokman thanked the Government, its ministries, the legislature and other agencies for the payment of outstanding subsidies owed to the major marketers.
