NIGERIA’S ENDLESS OIL NIGHTMARE

Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, continues to grapple with the ghostly presence of its once-celebrated refineries.Port Harcourt, Kaduna, and Warri. Once hailed as engines of energy independence, these refineries now sit in ruins, rotting away despite successive governments committing over $3 billion in turnaround maintenance contracts that have yielded nothing but disappointment.

Instead of boosting local production, Nigeria today relies almost entirely on the privately owned Dangote Refinery and limited imports from independent marketers for petrol supply. The grand promises of state-run refineries reviving the nation’s oil fortunes have faded into silence, leaving citizens to question the sincerity of government efforts.

Former NNPC Group Managing Director, Mele Kyari, had repeatedly assured Nigerians that the refineries would return to life. In the end, after a brief and token production that lasted only a few days, the refineries slipped back into their idle state. Silent, rusting monuments to mismanagement and corruption.

Observers argue that Nigeria does not need to spend another kobo on these facilities. If the billions of dollars already poured into them have not yielded results, then clearly the path forward lies elsewhere. With the amount already squandered, a brand-new, modern refinery could have been built.One that would actually serve the nation’s needs instead of draining its resources.

The choices before the federal government are clear: either sell off the refineries outright or invite credible investors to rehabilitate and operate them under a profit-sharing arrangement. Anything short of this is simply a continuation of waste. This is also a call for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to hasten the current probe into the billions spent on the phantom resuscitation of these refineries. Nigerians deserve to know where the money went, and those found culpable must face justice.

 Tochukwu Jimo Obi, jimobi83@gmail.com