Governors of the 36 states of the federation have said it was shameful that despite being a member of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, Nigeria still imports petrol. This is as the governors expressed dismay over the lingering crisis in the petroleum industry of the country.
Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, PGF, and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, stated this while interacting with newsmen after the governor’s meeting which started on Wednesday in Abuja. recalls that the governors had invited the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, Mele Kyari, to brief them on measures being taken to resolve issues regarding accessibility and affordability of petroleum products to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians.
Uzodinma said, “We must encourage the homegrown solution that the President just introduced; encouraging Dangote Refinery. We should repair our Port Harcourt Refinery, repair our Warri Refinery, repair our Kaduna Refinery, and then produce what we eat, and eat what we produce.
“We shouldn’t rely on importation of crude oil. For me, it is an aberration in the first place, to rely on importation of petroleum products as an oil producing country, while other members of OPEC of our status are now refining crude oil in that country.” The governors, who suggested the purchase of petroleum products in naira, also said refining the products locally would open an avalanche of opportunities for the citizens and boost the country’s economy.
They also admitted that Nigerians were battling with hardship, resolving to work with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to tackle the challenges plaguing the country, including kidnapping and banditry.
