Minister of State Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva on Wednesday reassured Nigerians that
President Muhammadu Buhari was totally committed to reversing Nigeria’s status as a net importer of refined petroleum products by ensuring that local refineries work.
Sylva gave the assurance after inspecting the first hydro-skimming private modular refinery being built by businessman, Dr. Azibapu Eruani in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
According to him, the refinery, which is about 75 per cent completed, has the capacity to process 12,000 barrels of crude per day.
Spokesman of the company, Austin Ebipade, in a statement added that the the Minister described Azikel hydro-skimming refinery as a massive vision and pragmatic quest to facilitate the Federal Government’s objectives towards attaining self-sufficiency in the production of refined products such as petrol, diesel, aviation fuel and liquified petroleum gas (LPG).
According to the Minister, the new outfit remains vital to Nigerians and the country’s efforts to attain economic prosperity.
Sylva said: “The Azikel Refinery is set to actualise the ‘export’ of refined products from Bayelsa State to other states in the Nigerian federation, with daily production of 1.5 million litres of petrol, one million litres of diesel 500,000 litres of kerosene and aviation fuel, thereby reversing of the stigma of Nigeria, the world’s fifth largest producer of crude oil being a net importer of refined products.”
The minister added that the people-focused dream of President Buhari to industrialise the Niger Delta, boost infrastructural development and facilitate employment-creation is been dynamically actualised by the Azikel Refinery through the additional workforce and encouragement of hundreds of youth towards acquisition of vocational skills needed to fill paid and self-employment slots being rapidly created by the refinery.
He commended the Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in the development of the project, as well as the participation of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC), Total Nigeria and Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) for the supply of feedstock for the Azikel refinery.
Dr. Eruani, the President of Azikel Petroleum refinery hailed Buhari for granting the company the license and pledged to “work assiduously towards actualising the Buhari administration’s objective of industrialising the nation, creating positive economic multipliers, including jobs for the youth and other Nigerians.”
According to him, “the Azikel Refinery is only a subsidiary that genuinely mirrors the patriotism and innovations of the Azikel Group.”