26 October 2013, Lagos – Some members of Lagos State House of Assembly on Thursday said the inferno at the Warri refinery had sent wrong signals to foreign investors coming to invest in Nigeria.
They said this in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Lagos.
The lawmakers were reacting to the statements credited to the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, as having claimed responsibility for the incident.
The chairman, House Committee on Environment, Mr Abiodun Tobun, (APC-Epe I), said that such action was condemnable and might scare foreign investors away from the country.
Tobun said, “It is not a good development; it only sends a bad signal about the country and the insecurity.
“It portray a bad signal to the country and then with that it will make the foreign investors not to come into the country to invest; and, after all, the Niger Delta issues have been fully resolved.”
Also speaking, Mr Bisi Yusuf, the chairman, House Committee on Transportation, Commerce and Industry, urged the Federal Government to take proactive measures in tackling security challenges in the country.
Yusuf, (APC- Alimosho I), also advised MEND members to shun their destructive tendencies and take to positive actions that could move the country forward.
“My advice is that we should now concentrate very much on the security challenges in the country.
“These are resources that cater for the developmental needs in the country. So, if we vandalise them what benefits will we derive from vandalism?”
NAN reports that a fire occurred in the topping unit of the refinery and petrochemicals company on Tuesday.
Ms. Tumini Green, the Acting Group General Manager, Public Affairs, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, confirmed the incident in a statement, saying it started at about 11.00 a.m.
According to her, the fire was put out through the combined efforts of the refinery’s fire department and other workers.
*NAN