PH Refinery To Start Production Before End Of 2024 – Senate Committee Says

• Gov Fubara Says his Administration’s policies align with Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda

The Senate Ad-hoc committee investigating the Turnaround Maintenance of the Nation’s Refineries, led by Senator Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, has expressed confidence that the Port Harcourt Refinery would start operation before the end of 2024.

This was as Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, said that his Administration was working in tandem with President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government’s policies designed to make life better for Nigerians through the Renewed Hope Agenda.

The Senate Committee-led by Senator Ifeanyi Ubu which announced this on Friday night when its members visited Governor Fubara, said they were pleased to note that what they saw was most encouraging as the refinery upgrade and full rehabilitation was almost at 90 percent completed.

Speaking when he received members of the Senate Committee, Governor Fubara said that in doing so, the Woji-Aleto-Alesa-Refinery Road, now 70 percent completed, was being constructed to provide a bypass to easily access the Port Harcourt Refinery and take off traffic from the East-West Road.

Fubara, who stated these when members of the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee investigating the Turnaround Maintenance of Nigeria’s Refineries, led by its Chairman, Senator Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah paid him a courtesy visit at Government House in Port Harcourt on Friday night, said the purpose of governance was to make life easy for the people.

He expressed delight that the Senate Committee’s investigation would result in making life easy and meaningful for Nigerians.

In the words of Fubara; “We, as a State, before the commencement of the rehabilitation job, had a contribution that we wanted to make to support the work at the refinery because of the deplorable state of the East-West Road.

“There is a road: Woji-Aleto-Alesa Refinery Road. We are almost completing the bridge. It’s about 70 percent completed. We are doing almost the last part of it. With that road, it will help to decongest and reduce the trouble commuters face along the East-West Road while providing easy access, straight to the refinery.

“So, you can see that our Government is working in line, supporting the Administration of President Bola Tinubu to give our people hope and assurance that things will soon get better.

“And it is this role that you are playing, genuinely and with the support of this State Government, that is the only way we can achieve the purpose of governance for everyone.

“The purpose of governance is to make life easy for the people. I am happy that your investigation would result in making life easy for the people,” he said.

The Governor pointed to the derivable benefits when the refinery is eventually revamped and becomes operational both to the Federal Government and host Rivers State.

Fubara further said; “When the refinery restarts production, there will be petroleum products available locally. The issue of importation will go down. We will now make an impact, the economy will grow, and internally generated revenue will increase. More projects will be executed in this State. You can see that it’s a chain effect thing. So, I want to thank you.

“We might be a State, as being presented that we have issues. But we don’t have any issues. Our eyes are on the ball to deliver for our people. Even in the face of this deliberate distraction, we will not fail our people because at the end, it is the impact we make on our people that counts,” he said.

Fubara warned that anybody who disrespects a man in authority either for his age or status, such person could succeed but temporarily because such insults would boomerang, coming with greater, bigger pain.

According to Fubara; “I am aware that this is not the actual number of members of this committee. You are more than this. I am also aware that the senator representing, unfortunately, my senatorial district didn’t want you to come here.

“But because you are men of integrity: the real ones who have integrity; you decided to come and do what is right. God will bless you. What you are doing is the right thing. Politics is a business of interest. Your worst enemy today can become your best friend tomorrow. It’s a business of interest. But the interest of the people should come first.

“Unfortunately, some people think it is something that has to do with life or death. And that is one mistake everybody makes when you take this business outside of the normal principles and rules.

“Our Government has no business with politics of bitterness because we have the interest of our people at heart. We take their wellbeing as our priority because that is why they gave us the mandate to govern them. So, their interest, which is the interest of the State, comes first in our scheme of things,” he said.

Fubara reminded the Senators of the peaceful nature and hospitality of the State and its people, thus, urging them to feel free to interact with the State for the mutual benefit of all stakeholders.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee Investigating the Turnaround Maintenance of Nigeria’s Refineries, Senator Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah (representing Anambra South Senatorial District), said they were at the Warri Refinery on Thursday and had come to Port Harcourt to investigate the work that has been done and assess the level of preparedness of both the old and new Port Harcourt Refinery to recommence operations.

Ubah said, “We will recall that the old Port Harcourt Refinery was the first refinery in Nigeria built in 1965, and the second one was built in 1989. And for so long now, they have not been in active operations.

“And with the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President, and also the desire of Nigerians and our determination; the Senate led by our President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, we had a resolution in the Senate to look at it and make sure that Nigeria’s refineries are working so that we shouldn’t be depending on importation of petroleum products”, he said.

“And that is one of the reasons that we are here, and as well to look into the contract and investigate the level of compliance vis-a-vis the contract specifications,” he said.