The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association has said that the collapse of Nigeria’s refineries can be traced to the birth of private tank farms.
Chairman of IPMAN in Rivers State, Dr Joseph Obele, stated this when he appeared on a live Radio (93.7 Rhythm) programme monitored by our correspondent in Port Harcourt.
Obele said the Federal Government must do away with bureaucracy if it was sincere in making refineries in the country functional, noting that poor management was responsible for the non-functioning of the four refineries in the country.
He said, “We have about six factors that have contributed to the deplorable state of Nigeria’s refineries. One is bureaucracy and bottleneck. Two is the national cake syndrome.
“If you are the managing director today, there is this syndrome that it is our thing; we have to consume ours.
“Three is the aggressive competition by private tank farms. I want to speak to us that the collapse of Nigeria’s refineries can be traced to the commencement or the history or the day the private tank farms started.
“It is the incompetence of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation as well as political and ethnic interference. The issue of the refineries is not technical but institutional.”
Obele said the Federal Government should restore subsidy on petrol until the countries four refineries were operating optimally.
He said, “The benefits of removal of subsidy are enormous. One, subsidy as we speak pose a very big threat to new entrants.
“So, removing it is a great opportunity for new entrants. It will bring boom to the industry and create employment opportunities.”
“It will enhance competition in the sector too. So I posit that subsidy should be removed.”
Fuel, electricity increase: NLC, TUC hold crucial emergency meetings ahead of nationwide protest
There are strong indication that organised labour may draw its members and Nigerians out this week to protest the recent increase in the pump price of petrol and electricity tariff.
Ahead of the protest, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has scheduled emergency meetings of two of its organs, the National Administrative Council (NAC) and Central Working Committee (CWC) for Wednesday in Abuja to ratify and grant permission for the leadership to organise nationwide protests along with other allies in the country.
The NLC in a letter to its affiliates on Friday had said the two emergency meetings billed for 10am and 2pm was on the state of the nation and emphasised the importance of members attending the “crucial meetings.”
NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, though not specific on the date for the protest, informed Daily Sun that workers would hit the road immediately the organs gave the nod.
Wabba said Nigerians expected labour to take to the street immediately after the announcement, but said it was important to take some time to organise and plan the protest so that it turns out successful.
He, however, said labour was happy Nigerians were conscious of what was happening around them and taking responsibility.
In the same vein, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Friday held a Zoom meeting of its National Executive Council (NEC) on the latest increase in the pump price of petrol and electricity.
A TUC source said the union plans to hold another meeting tomorrow to finalise details of the protest.
“The protest may hold this week, but if not, definitely it cannot go beyond next week. We are meeting to draw the modalities and probably the cooperation we may have with our other allies,” the source said.
