Privatise oil refineries, Speaker Abbas tells FG

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajuddeen has stated that Nigeria must avoid more wasteful years since the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has been commercialized and is now profit oriented.

He made the remark when the management of NNPCL, led by the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) Mele Kyari, paid him a courtesy call on Thursday.

He called for measures to turn around the losses suffered by the economy, due to the non-productive state of the nation’s refineries, by privatising them for better management and productivity.

He lamented the state of Nigeria’s refineries like Kaduna and others, which he said had been moribund for over 20 years, even though the staff were maintained, paid and promoted.

He described the situation as inefficiency and waste of resources that needed to be addressed.

Speaker Abbas said NNPCL must come up with creative ways for optimal performance to address the issue of non-performing public assets in the oil sector.

“I am from Kaduna, and the Kaduna refinery has been moribund for more than 20 years. I know of people working there who have been idle all these years receiving salaries and promotions. This is inefficiency of a worrisome proportion. The company needs to seek creative ways to repurpose staff strength in such facilities to areas where they can remain productive even in the absence of crude oil at the refineries,” he said.

He promised that the 10th House, and by extension the National Assembly, would support the company in its fight against oil theft.

He said the House has taken the lead by creating a Special Committee on Oil Theft and Pipeline Vandalism, which was inaugurated on Wednesday.

He commended the NNPCL for taking full advantage of the Petroleum Industry Act to maximise its commercial potentials,

Earlier, GCEO, NNPCL, Mele Kyari, said he has recorded many successes owing to the use of the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act.