By Janet Samuel, Abuja
The Senate has dismissed media reports claiming that it will expose all “frauds associated with the contracts and management of the Turn Around Maintenance of the nation’s refineries”.
A news report last week claimed that the Senate through its Ad-hoc Committee on Investigation of Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) in the nation’s refineries has vowed to “expose all frauds associated with the contracts and management of the process.”
Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, who expressed displeasure over the “unfortunate reports” at an interactive session on Thursday, said the National Assembly couldn’t have declared verdict on an issue that is still under investigation.
“I apologise for the reports. I was quoted out of context”, Senator Uba said at the interactive session.
The Senator further noted that the Committee’s concern was aimed at getting the nation’s refineries fully rehabilitated and returned to their respective optimal refining capacities so as to ensure nationwide petroleum products sufficiency and safeguard Nigeria’s energy security.
Responding, the Group chief Executive Officer(GCEO) of Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd, Mr. Mele Kyari, who drew the attention of the Ad-hoc Committee to the news report, assured Nigerians that the delivery date of the Port Harcourt and other refineries remains sacrosanct.
“We will make sure that promises that we made about the rehabilitation of these refineries are kept. We did a mechanical completion of PHRC in December. Now, we have crude oil already stocked in it. It is currently undergoing regulatory compliance test before we restream it. I assure you that this refinery will start in next two weeks.
“For Warri, we have also done mechanical work on it. It is undergoing regulatory compliance processes that we are doing with our regulators. Kaduna will be ready by December this year, but we have not reached that stage. We believe that it will also be ready on schedule,” the GCEO stated.
Kyari explained that currently, Port Harcourt Refinery has received 450,000 barrels of crude for processing following the mechanical completion of the plant in December, last year.
He called for the cooperation of all stakeholders in the rehabilitation process, stressing that “we are all serving this country dutifully and loyally. Nigerians must understand that gradually, we shall get this task done.”
The Senate Ad-hoc Committee is expected to visit the three refineries in Kaduna, Warri and Port Harcourt soon for an on-the-spot assessment of work progress.
