The Rivers State branch of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association, IPMAN, has described the 1.5 billion dollar approval by the Federal Government for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery as not worthy of celebrating until it is implemented and functional.
Reacting to the development in an interview with our correspondent, IPMAN State Chairman, Dr Joseph Obele, emphasized that such approvals have been made in the past by the Federal Government but later abandoned.
He noted that if refineries in the country are working, it will be an end to the importation of petroleum products, as Nigerians will buy the commodity at the best price.
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“We the Stakeholders in the oil and gas industry will not roll out our drums and start dancing to the approval, recall that the approval of East-West road was given since sixty or thirty years ago and we are yet to see the completion of the project.
“In Nigeria, trust is gone and nobody is going to dance to any approval until we see machines and men at the site, then we will be sure that they are committed to the project.
Dr Obele stressed further that the functioning of the refinery will pose a threat to most petroleum importers whose prayers are for the refineries to remain redundant.
