Locally Constructed Refineries Should Not Be Called “Illegal” N54.66bn On Turnaround Maintenance Fraudulent — Udensi

Interpol Systems Consultant and security expert, Sir Chikwe Udensi has decried the amount being spent by the federal government on subsidizing petroleum products in the country, put at N1.593trn from Jan to June, 2022.

He also said the estimated N54.66bn spent on refineries rehabilitation in the first and second quarters in 2022 is unnecessary.

Speaking on Wednesday on Love FM’s current affairs programme in Umuahia streamed by ABN TV, the APGA chieftain while expressing reservation about the figures released by the government said it is time to improve upon the modular refineries in the country instead of driving them out of existence.

“I prefer not to call them illegal only because they are not registered, I call them locally made refineries. Necessity has made it important that we have these locally made refineries, there is nothing we can’t make in Nigeria today.

“If you look at what is happening in Aba, there is nothing that cannot be produced in Aba. Since there is no three months that pass without we having a scarcity of fuel, it’s either the independent marketers or the truck loaders who will create this problem every three months.

“As I talk to you now, we still have people on long queues in Abuja, if this will be a perennial problem, why can’t we create a system to allow our local people to refine these products, why must we rely on refineries abroad?” he said.

Udensi said Nigeria was able to produce a weapon of mass destruction known as the “ogbunigwe” during the civil war which he described as effective.

He said products manufactured in Nigeria are effective if the people who have the skills are encouraged.

He insists that locally constructed refineries should be regulated and fine-tuned for effective performance to save the country from fuel importation.

“If we create a benchmark, the local refineries will be improved upon,” he added.