November 18, (THEWILL) – The Stand-Up South South Security Group has accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited of crippling the nation’s economy through its continued reliance on fuel importation, calling for immediate action to operationalize the nation’s refineries.
In a statement issued on Monday in Abuja and signed by its Coordinator, Comrade Dickson Onisiru, the group alleged that the NNPCL has wasted over $20 billion on failed attempts to rehabilitate the country’s refineries since 2007.
It urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to hold the company accountable for its inaction.
“The NNPCL should explain to Nigerians why, after spending billions of dollars on refinery rehabilitation, none of the refineries are working,” Onisiru said.
The group decried the impact of fuel importation on Nigerians, who are grappling with rising poverty and hunger due to skyrocketing costs of petroleum products.
It called on Tinubu to demand immediate action from the NNPCL or remove its Group CEO, Mele Kyari, for what it described as “gross failure and incompetence.”
The SSSSG accused the NNPCL of deliberately stalling the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries to sustain its importation business, alleging a conspiracy between oil cabals and fuel importers to frustrate the administration’s efforts to end fuel importation.
It added, “We are beginning to suspect that the NNPCL and its allies are working against Tinubu’s government. They have deliberately ensured that the refineries remain non-functional, just to maintain their lucrative fuel importation business.”
The group urged the Federal Government to end fuel importation in 2024 and partner with local refinery operators, including the Dangote Refinery, to achieve energy self-sufficiency.
The group further highlighted the economic benefits of operationalizing the country’s refineries and supporting local operators, warning that continued reliance on importation would destroy domestic refinery initiatives and erode Nigeria’s economic stability.
“If President Tinubu wants Nigerians to take him seriously, he must stop all fuel importation now. Domesticating the refining process will not only save costs but also create jobs and stabilise the economy,” it concluded.
Amos Okioma is a Correspondent at THEWILL
