Reviewed:NNPC Shut Down Warri Refinery For Dangote Refinery Says IPMAN

The Chairman of the Delta State Chapter of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigerian (IPMAN), Comrade Azino Oneimon has alleged that the long shutdown of Warri Refinery by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is inimical to Nigerians in favour of Dangote Refinery which is still under construction and few individuals.

He said at a briefing that “the Warri Refinery is shut down for one year and eight months without any plausible reason. The public is not aware of this reason behind the shuttiing down of Warri Refinery. Our refineries are not bad as the way the NNPC made the nation to believe. After the junior workers strike, the Warri Refinery has been down barely one year and eight months now. When we asked they told us that the Warri Refinery is undergoing test and that when the test is finished, the refinery would be opened again. How long would the test continue?

“We told them that there is much to the closure of the refineries. We were made to know through inteligent report that the refinery is being closed because of Dangote Refinery. We now asked, do you want to close down the refinery becuase of one man Dangote Refinery under construction? He asked.

He stated that all the petroleum products in the country are being imported whereas there is nothing wrong with Warri Refinery.

He qurried: ”if the refineries are not working and you keep a large number of staff and be paying them monthly salary? Why not lay off your staff?”

He then revealed that to their finding there, there was nothing wrong with the Warri Refinery plant. It has no problem and it is functional. But they decided to shut it down for selfish reasons.

”We have been meeting with WRPC and appealing to them to reopen the Warri Refinery. But they said federal power has not given them go ahead to reopen the refinery,” he revealed.

“They chose importation of petroleum products because they want to make quick money with their friends, girlfriends and family members to become rich over night at the expense of the nation,” IPMAN chairman noted.