The former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has attacked critics of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) following the commencement of the revived Port Harcourt Refinery.
Fani-Kayode’s comment is in reaction to those he described as some elements within the private sector in the oil and gas industry that want to undermine and understate the revitalisation of the Port Harcourt Refinery.
Speaking on his official X handle on Thursday, Fani-Kayode noted that the oil business is not the same thing as selling sugar, spaghetti, and cement, tackling Aliko Dangote, Chairman of the Dangote Petrochemical Refinery.
New Telegraph reports that there are claims against the viability of Port Harcourt Refinery after NNPCL announced that the plant has begun trucking out petroleum products on Tuesday.
Recall that Timothy Mgbere, Secretary of the Alesa community stakeholders, on Arise Television on Thursday alleged that Port Harcourt Refinery trucked out old stock, not freshly refined petroleum products.
However, Fani-Kayode fingered some elements in the private sector of the industry as responsible for the campaign of calumny to discredit the Group Managing Director of NNPCL, Mele Kyari, and President Bola Tinubu over the commencement of Port Harcourt Refinery after years of being in comatose.
According to him, what Nigerians need is for NNPCL refineries to flourish, and the same for Dangote Refinery and others, adding that the Port Harcourt Refinery is a great victory for Nigeria.
He said, “The resurrection of the PH refinery is one of the most encouraging things that has happened in the petroleum sector for many years, and the credit for this must go to the President and the GMD of NNPC.
“It is a pity that some elements in the private sector who are new in the field are doing all they can to undermine and understate this great victory for Nigeria.
“The oil business is not the same gas selling sugar, spaghetti, cement, or rice, and no matter how hard you try, you cannot muscle your way and create a monopoly on the sale of refined products as you did for other commodities over the years.”.
He added: “NNPC will go from strength to strength, and once its other refineries are working as well, Nigerians will have cause to smile again. Let the new kid on the block flourish, but let the NNPC refineries flourish too. That should be our goal and not a squalid attempt to discredit NNPC and its leadership.
“Every optimistic and true lover of Nigeria’s progress and President Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda must be proud of the GMD Mele Kyari. His tenacity, bravery, ingenuity, and forthrightness have been rewarded with this great feat. Surely this is hope renewed for Nigerians.”.
