…As Warri, Kaduna Refineries Rehabilitations await FEC approval
Olusola Bello
Nigeria will soon witness high level of reduction in the volume of refined products imported into the country, as activities are in top gear to ensure that the rehabilitation of Warri and Kaduna refineries kicks off very soon.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has said the rehabilitation of Warri and Kaduna refineries will commence soon.
According to him, the ministry had begun putting the Port Harcourt Refinery and Petrochemical Company in good shape.
The minister, who did not give a timeline for completion of works on the Warri and Kaduna refineries, affirmed that the ministry was working to secure approval of the Federal Executive Council for comprehensive rehabilitation of all refineries in the country.
His disclosed this at the graduation ceremony of the of the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun, Delta State, at the weekend.
Timipre Sylva who described the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) as a watershed moment for Nigeria, observed that the law “provides legal, governance, regulatory and fiscal framework for the Nigerian petroleum industry, the host communities and other related matters.”
He said the quick approval given by President Muhammadu Buhari for the constitution of a steering committee to oversee the implementation of the PIA showed how important it was to national development.
The minister, who was represented by the permanent secretary in the ministry, Dr. Nasir Gwarzo, disclosed that the implementation panel would ensure that PTI was saddled with the responsibility of human capacity development in the oil and gas sector.
He charged the graduates to deploy the knowledge they have gained to create ideas and innovations that would aid the development of Nigeria.
“The major stakeholders like the OPTS, the petroleum ministry, PTDF, NCDMB, the Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Commission and the Mid-stream and Down Stream Regulatory Authority will be co-opted to ensure that PTI is supported with respect to policy achievements and funding, Sylva said.
Earlier, the Principal and Chief Executive Officer of PTI, Dr. Henry Adebowale Adimula, disclosed that 2,297 graduates received the institute’s diplomas and certificates out of which 1,408 were awarded National Diplomas (NDs) while 1,153 bagged Higher National Diplomas (HNDs), as 16 went home with General Welding Certificates.