The Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has
thrown its weight behind the Federal Government’s policy to end
importation of petroleum products by 2018.
Mr Joseph Ogbebor, NUPENG’s General Secretary gave the union’s
position in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday
in Lagos.
NAN reports that the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya
Onu, had said on Wednesday in Ebonyi announced that by 2018, Nigeria
would stop the importation of refined petroleum products.
Ogbebor
said importation of petroleum products was unnecessary and called for,
noting that previous administrations had failed to do the right thing.
Nigeria as an oil-producing state and member of Organisation of
Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), he said, had no business importing
refined products.
“Importation of petroleum products became unavoidable because there
was no regular maintenance of the four government-owned refineries.
“This led to poor capacity utilisation and loss of jobs while
promoting and sustaining jobs in countries where Nigeria imports petrol
from.,” the NUPENG scribe said.
He said if new refineries were built and the existing ones given
necessary turned-around maintenance with adequate crude supplied for
refining for local consumption, importation of petroleum products would
be unnecessary.
“This is what as a union we have been preaching for long. Turn the refineries around so that we can create jobs for Nigerians.
“Rather than depend on importation and by so doing create jobs outside the country while the people suffer.”
“If the government could implement it and put an end to petrol
importation, it would be a welcome development and better for the
economy,” Ogbebor added.