President Tinubu Urged To Create Enabling Environment For Indigenous Oil Companies To Thrive

By: Awajis Josiah-Chijindu 

President Bola Tinubu has been called upon to create an enabling environment for all oil refining companies to thrive without fear or pressure of any kind.

The call was made during a rally against economic sabotage in the Nigerian Petroleum sector with the theme: National Unity Against sabotage: reclaiming of Petroleum sector for the people held in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

Speaking during the rally, the convener of Niger Delta Youth council, comrade Danielson Prince stated that the attitude of importing crude oil from outside the shore of the country is detrimental to Nigerian economy. He called on the president to pressure NNPC to sell crude oil to Nigerian companies within Nigeria.

On his part, the president of Patriotic Youth Forum of Nigeria, comrade Olamide Odumose while appreciating the president for providing an enabling economic ground, revealed that the main aim of the rally is to call on the president to allow for the supply of crude oil to local refining companies in Nigeria in accordance to the law.

However, this is both a journey and a struggle.  And we will not rest, will we get to the desired destination and victory achieved. There are still very important issues to address.

As an oil producing country, the matter of supply of crude to local refineries (in this case, the Dangote Refinery) is not only a matter of Law as stated in the Petroleum Industry Act, but a manner of patriotic duty, national consciousness and economic prosperity drive. It is very sad, unfortunate and embarrassing that Dangote Refinery imports crude from other countries due to his inability to source it at home.

Both the spirit and letters of the petroleum industry Act, particularly under the sec on referenced in this text is to mandate oil companies, particularly, upstream operators to supply crude oil to domes c refineries at reasonable prices in order to protect the refineries and encourage investments thereof. It is for this reason that the PIA encourages regulatory agencies to formulate policies that will ensure the supply of crude to local refineries, including imposing sanctions where necessary. He said

Comrade odumose emphasized that it is unacceptable for government agencies in the country to hide under the willing supplier clause to frustrate the supply of crude oil to local refining companies in Nigeria.

Our correspondent reports that similar rallies  were organized in Abuja, Kaduna and Asaba.