A Former PDP Chairman in Anambra State, Dan Ulasi has lamented over the government’s stance on local refineries in oil-producing areas where individuals are arrested for operating them. He expressed frustration at the spectacle of lengthy queues in the South-South region where people wait to access fuel.
While acknowledging that illegal refinery is wrong, he suggested that embracing innovation and indigenous solutions could render these operations legal and beneficial for the country. He advocated for a more pragmatic approach, prioritizing the development of local refineries and supporting homegrown expertise to ensure Nigeria’s energy security.
He said in an interview with AIT From 2:30:40, ”The corruption headquarters of Nigeria is in the Oil Industry. And it is so unfortunate that in all cases, the President of this country have also been Oil ministers. More than a billion dollars have been set aside for Port Harcourt Refinery and up till today, that refinery has not started working. And so the one built by a private individual is not being given oil and he was importing oil until the President directed recently that they should give him Oil and sell to him in Naira.
We have people in the Oil Producing areas who have local refineries but we arrest them. If I’m the President of Nigeria, I will be interested to know how they do this. I tell you sincerely that we have scientists in this country and we need to help them with this indigenous technology. How can you go to the South South and you see long queue of people waiting to get fuel? I’m not supporting Illegality but if this Illegality is part of innovation that can make me have oil in my country, then it is legal.”