Onuesoke Urge FG to Give Attention to Domestic Refining
A former Delta State Governorship aspirant, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, has called on the Federal Government to resuscitate its refineries to curb the issues with fuel subsidy.
Onuesoke communicated this in a statement yesterday as the federal government announced its position on removing petroleum price subsidies.
He, however, lauded the Federal Government for honoring the plea of Nigerians by suspending the removal of fuel subsidies.
According to him, the decision by the Federal Government will save the country from another round of protests which would have caused an uproar in the nation.
Recall that Empire had earlier reported that the Minister of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Hajia Zainab Ahmed, had revealed the Federal Government’s plan to remove subsidy on petroleum products till further notice.
Meanwhile, Onuesoke has advised the Federal Government to seek measures in fixing the four refineries in the country to mitigate the consequences even as it suspends the subsidy removal.
According to him: “The only way out over this subsidy issue is for government to get the four refineries working at an optimal level to bring the petroleum products prices to the barest minimum”.
He held that “the issue of paying fuel subsidy will be minimized or totally eradicated. Hence, the oil is drilled and produced within Nigeria if the Warri, Port Harcourt, and Kaduna refineries are in good working condition.
“The country has no reason for not bringing back its moribund domestic refineries; it is a shame for Nigeria to remain the only OPEC member that imports more than 90 percent of its refined petroleum needs.
“The precipitous removal of fuel subsidy without making strategic plans or giving particular attention to the domestic refining is tantamount to strangulating hand-to-mouth Nigerians.
“Before the removal of the fuel subsidy in the future, it will indeed be a perfect idea for Nigeria to go all out to resuscitate its four comatose refineries and embark on building new others in order to mitigate the consequences of the withdrawal. The poser here is why Nigeria’s four ailing refineries are yet to be resuscitated?”
