Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN says the unmotorable state of Eleme section of the East-West Road remains the only frustrating factor to the December 2023 deadline for resumption of crude oil refining activities at the Port Harcourt Refinery.
To this end, IPMAN has hailed the planned reconstruction of the East West Road by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, following appeals by the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
IPMAN Chairman in Rivers State, Dr Joseph Obele, said it will be disastrous for the refinery to become operational without access road for trucks to lift products, noting that the road has recorded countless cases of falling trucks, containers and accidents leading to loss of lives.
Obele maintained that if the Port Harcourt refinery must produce by December 2023, the East West Road must be fixed urgently, and wondered why the federal government has refused to fulfil its promises on the road since 2014.
He said, “The passionate appeal for the immediate fixing of Eleme axis of the East West Road made recently by the Rivers State delegation to Mr. President at Abuja is highly commendation.
“IPMAN will want to thank the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara for championing the call for the dualization of the road. If the East West Road can fix under the reign of Nyesom Wike as the Minister of FCT, that will bring to reality that narrative of “What Napoleon Could Not Do.”
“We desire to see the Port Harcourt Refinery functional by December as announced by Mr President, but the only frustration could be the road leading to the refinery. To achieve that deadline, then something must be done urgently about the road.
“Thousands of petroleum tankers will be coming to lift DPK, AGO, LPG, PMS and LPFO from the Port Harcourt refinery, hence it will be the only functional refinery in Nigeria.
“It will be a disaster waiting to happen on the road. The road is not motorable at the moment, so how will trucks carrying highly inflammable petroleum products pass on that road?
“The time to start fixing the road is now, if the Federal Government is actually committed to achieving the December deadline for the commencement of production at the Port Harcourt Refinery.”
