The Association of Local Refinery Owners have appealed to President Bola Tinubu to be considered for pipeline surveillance contracts.
The association made the appeal in a addressed to the President and copied to Governors of Delta, Edo, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Ondo and Bayelsa States.
While the refiners agree to have operated outside the law, they argued that their operations costs the nation less than 2% of revenue lost to oil theft.
They also pointed out that the cabal was responsible for over 98% of revenue lost to oil theft.
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The letter titled ‘RENEWAL OF PIPELINE SECURITY CONTRACT: CALL FOR ENGAGEMENT OF CRITICAL STAKEHOLDERS LIKE LOCAL REFINERY OWNERS IN THE NIGER DELTA’, read;
“Your Excellency, on behalf of the Association of Local Refinery Owners, we warmly congratulate you on your victory at the polls and sincerely look forward in partnering with your Government in securing the nation’s network of pipelines across the length and breadth of the Niger Delta region.
“Your Excellency, we are Nigerians and equal stakeholders in the affairs of the nation and are willing to contribute our quota positively to nation building. But most times, our intentions are deliberately misinterpreted by the oil cabal that never meant well for the country.
“Your Excellency, contrary to popular belief, local refinery owners do not involve in pipeline vandalization, rather we jealously guard and protect our national assets. It is rather unfortunate that we have been branded as economy saboteurs and all sorts of names whereas it is the oil cabal that engages in all sorts of criminalities including pipeline vandalization and in return being awarded with pipeline repair contracts over the years.
“Indeed, the volume of crude oil being locally refined is less than 2% of the total stolen crude oil, while the oil cabal takes more than 98% without any direct benefit to the local communities whereas in our case, we contribute to the local economies and meet our end means as well.
“Furthermore, as critical stakeholders, we want to be constructively engaged in terms of being registered as “Cluster Groups” Wherein guidelines and regulations will be issued to regulate operations of local refinery.
“In this regard, local refinery owners will buy crude direct from Government and the benefits are enormous – increased revenue derive for Government, supplement products and readily made available AGO, PMS, DKP as well as bitumen as end product. This will boost both the local and national economy in terms of employment and others too numerous to mention here.
“For example, the price of AGO was a bit stable despite the removal of subsidy years back because of the efforts of local refineries before the award of pipeline security contract. While we are not justifying our past actions because the law of the land is not in our favour, there is still much we can offer, hence this letter to Your Excellency.
“Your Excellency, we are therefore making passionate appeal to you to look into the plight of local refinery owners and engage us just as the Government did to militants giving birth to the amnesty program – monthly allowance, scholarships, training and recently soft loan (from N1,000,000.00 to N10,000,000.00) for ex-agitators to live meaningful life.
“Your Excellency, it will be very unfair if the Government abandon us to our fate just because of the past. We have since turned a new leaf but now that we are jobless how do we cater for our families in this harsh economy.
“Therefore, it is our humble submission that the interest of members of the above association be considered in the award of pipeline security contract because we also understand the terrain and can do a better job if considered.
“Once again we congratulate Your Excellency and pledge our unalloyed support to the Federal Government
“Sign for an on behalf of the Association of Local Refinery Owners in the Niger Delta
Ondo State Mr. Fumilayo Kolade
Edo State Mr. Is as Osas
Delta State Mr. Roland Geduwei
Bayelsa State Comrade Ebi Bani
Rivers State Mr. Kachi Vital
Akwa-Ibom State Mr. Joseph Etim
Imo State Mr. Rachi Jay
Cc:
H. E. Governor of Ondo State
H. E The Governor of Edo State
H. E. The Governor of Delta State
H E The Governor of Bayelsa State
H. E The Governor of Rivers State
H. E The Governor of Akwa-Ibom State
