NUPENG WORRIED ABOUT DROP IN LOCAL REFINERIES PRODUCTION

NUPENG WORRIED ABOUT DROP IN LOCAL REFINERIES PRODUCTION

PRESS RELEASE NUPENG WORRIED ABOUT DROP IN LOCAL REFINERIES PRODUCTION

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) is worried and concerned about the output from the refineries which has dropped at an average of 16 percent of their combined nameplate capacity of 445,000 barrels per day. This is an unfortunate and uncomfortable development for the downstream oil and gas sector of the economy. The union regrets, that the four refineries operated at 10 percent installed capacity in June which is a shame, despite the abundance of crude oil deposits in the land. The union notes that in this era of government imposed austerity measures, the run on the foreign exchange to import fuel will tell much on the economy, thus fueling more hardship, especially to the down-trodden masses. NUPENG re-iterates that a cabal is benefitting from importation of fuel at the expense of our people and also working in unison to make the four nation’s refineries not to work but to lobby the powers that be for it to be sold to them as scraps. The union adds that the federal government must ensure the Turn-aroundmaintenance of the four nation’s refineries and make sure that adequate supply of crude is sent in order to reduce the importation of petroleum products. NUPENG deplores the current state of the refineries, as they are strategic, and for security reasons must not be allowed to rot away and sold but increase their capacity utilization and establish new ones. The union insists that it will not allow government to sell the refineries as scraps when they can be reactivated and reduce the current massive importation of petroleum products into the country, that is the eight largest producer of the black gold. NUPENG states that as part of the re-industrialisation programme and transformation agenda of Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to revive our industries, that the nation’s four refineries must be put fully on stream in order to generate more jobs and save the nation of scarce foreign exchange. The union calls on the federal government to also put machineries in motion to effectively police the pipelines from vandalisation, so that crude can reach the refineries un-interrupted.

Comrade (Dr.) Igwe Achese President

Share this post