NANS to FG and NNPCL: Fix Nigeria’s refineries to end fuel importation, attain self-sufficiency

The NANS, the umbrella body of Nigerian students, has urged the federal government and the NNPCL to get their act together and fix the country’s broken refineries, saying that this is the only way for Nigeria to become self-reliant in oil production.

The NANS Senate President, Elvis Ekundina, issued the statement, in which he expressed his displeasure over Nigeria’s constant reliance on imported petroleum products, which he said has aggravated the country’s forex woes.

The student body contended that Nigeria will not witness speedy economic development if it keeps buying petroleum products from abroad.

The association insisted that the federal government must tackle the current energy crunch caused by the acute scarcity of petrol in the Nigerian market by not only fixing the country’s refineries but also making sure that they work at full throttle.

According to NANS, the country’s refineries, when up and running, can produce enough petroleum products to satisfy the country’s daily demand.

The NANS Senate President bemoaned that Nigeria’s energy crunch had deteriorated with the removal of fuel subsidies by the federal government in May, leading to hikes in the pump price of gasoline, “and the only solution to this is by ensuring that our refineries are operational.”.

He argued that Nigeria, as an oil-producing country, has no business importing fuel if all the nation’s refineries are working at full capacity.

The NANS Senate President therefore said that for Nigeria to stop the importation of petroleum products, which he said was bleeding forex and causing job losses, it needed to fix its own refineries based on the technological prowess of Nigerians.

“We believe that revamping and restarting our faulty refineries to optimal production levels will solve the nation’s energy crisis.

“This will also solve the problems the country is facing with foreign exchange and the plunging naira crisis.

“When we are able to fix our refineries and put them to good use, Nigeria’s issue with fuel shortages and pricing will be solved.

“It is good to have our refineries fully working alongside the Dangote refinery, as this will eventually make Nigeria a net exporter of refined petroleum products, and this will also ensure stability in fuel prices,” he said.