Youths of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria have vowed to resist alleged plans by the Federal Government to bring in any company in the name of concessioning the PorPort Harcourt refinery.
At a news conference in Warri, Delta State, the youth under the aegis of Pan Niger Delta Youth Leadership Forum says the region has qualified businessmen and the required manpower to handle the Port Harcourt refinery,
and needs no third party financier.
Ovieteme George reports that Nigeria’s Petroleum Minister, Ibe Kachikwu was alleged to have told journalists attending the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston Texas, that the country’s refineries would soon have new investors.
But the Senate halted that move, with an order to the Ministry of Petroleum, to suspend the planned concession.
Youths of the Niger Delta are not leaving anything to chance. They argue that people of the region are eminently qualified to manage and run the refinery, having been recipients of years of environmental pollution.
They are also willing to provide 1.2 billion dollars required for the concessioning.
A quick resolution of the matter could save Nigeria huge foreign exchange and jobs from the importation of refined petroleum products.
