Federal Government says plans are underway to build another refinery in Rivers State.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources,Timipri Sylva made this known on Sunday when he led the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC, to pay a courtesy call on Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike at the Government House Port Harcourt.
The Minister also disclosed that plans had reached an advanced stage to rehabiltate existing refineries in the country.
According to him, the Federal Government decided to start rehabiltation of the two refineries in Port Harcourt because Rivers State is the headquaters of the hydrocarbon industry.
Sylvia commended Wike for his quest to get the refinery road dualised and promised that the ministry would support the move.
In his response, the Rivers State governor urged multinationals to stop using Insecurity to justify their refusal to relocate their operatioal headquarters to the Niger Delta region.
According to him” They use Insecurity to place us in a disadvantaged position and deny us our right”
He said” The multinationals are sometimes to blame because they instigate Insecurity by paying militants and turn around to blame it on the people.”
Wike noted tha the NNPC has not done anything substantial for the state after many years of operation adding that the Port Harcourt refinery has continued to operate below capacity as he pointed out that the access road has been in a poor state for years.
Wike urged the visiting minister and his NNPC team to dualise the three kilometer road and change the narrative.
