The Director, Institute for African Renaissance Studies and Realization (IARSR), at the Gregory University Uturu, Abia State, Alhaji Yahaya Ndu, has urged the Federal Government to immediately put necessary mechinery in motion to legalize, standardize, regulate and monitor all the so called illegal refineries in the country.
Ndu who made the call on Sunday in Abuja, noted that majority of the so-called illegal refineries are in the Niger Delta.
According to him, Nigerians have severally been told that petroleum subsidy grew by 349.42 percent in three years, from N350bn in 2019 to N1.573trn in 2021.
Ndu, who is also the President, Peoples Movement for a New Nigeria (PMNN), noted that the cost of subsidizing the product in 2022 was N450bn.
“Most unfortunately, years of government neglect and unemployment in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region coupled with other factors have given rise to a widespread industry of illegally refining with lots of attendant risks.
“On 24th April 2022 for example an explosion at one of these refineries killed over 100 people. On October 2021, a previous explosion killed 25.
“Not to mention the fact that illegal oil refineries discharge residue from the boiling crude into rivers, polluting wildlife habitat and water cycle.
“If the illegal refineries are legalized, standardized and monitored it could be a win win situation for all,” he said.
He wondered how can the country can be destroying locally built mini refineries that should be encouraged so that it can contribute to emiliorating the scarcity of petroleum products and creating gainful employment for the people while at the same time spending trillions of naira subsidising refined petroleum products from abroad.
