The Senate has expressed concern over the $1.5 billion approved in 2021 for the turn-around maintenance of the Port Harcourt Refinery, with little or no result. The Senate Ad Hoc Committee to Investigate the Alleged Economic Sabotage in the Nigerian Petroleum Industry raised the concern during an interactive session with stakeholders.
The committee chairman, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, stated that the federal government has invested billions of dollars in maintaining and turning around the state-owned refineries since 1999, but they are not functioning. He emphasized that the National Assembly is ready to carry out the investigative hearing with all sense of honor and responsibility.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr. Mele Kyari, refuted claims of sabotaging domestic refinery, stating that the company has grown and is now a profit-making company.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Heineken Lokpobiri, urged the Senate to televise the proceedings live to ensure transparency.
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