President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan has said the federal government should encourage modular refineries as a way to curb illegal refineries.
Lawan stated this while reacting to the explosion at an illegal refinery in Abaezi community in Imo State, where 110 people were killed.
“I call on the federal government to take prompt action through the introduction of regulatory policies to prevent disasters associated with the illegal refining of crude oil in Nigeria.
“We cannot in any true sense benefit in a practical way from the oil and gas resources we have in Nigeria if we don’t add the value of refining it.
“Of course, we know what it means as at today, even though crude oil sells for higher, but because we have to import the refined products, the increase in price at the international market does not seem to confer any advantage to our country.
“So, that speaks volumes that we have to refine our petroleum products in Nigeria if we would have to enjoy the benefits of an endowment like that.
“And for Nigerians who get engaged and involved in this kind of illegal refining activities, I think government will have to take action. It is for government to come to decision on how we should be able to deal with these illegal activities.
On one hand, we may encourage private participation, in fact, that is the best way to go. But illegal refining again, at the moment, is causing a lot of damage to our country.
“So, it is a very dicey situation, but we have to utilise the ingenuity of our citizens who are creative and innovative, but in a much-regulated way, so that we don’t experience these kinds of disasters”.
