A destroyed refinery By Favour Ifeoluwa & Akinola Ajibade The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited( NNPCL) says it has destroyed 134 illegal refineries in the last few weeks. Also, the company said 63 illegal pipeline connections were uncovered during the the weeks . The corporation, In a visual report, stated that at about 2 am on Sunday, a joint team of security agents discovered a large wooden boat illicitly loading stolen crude oil from Barge AGS01 within the OML 18 operating area, noted intelligence report a large wooden wooden boat was caught receiving crude oil from the barge. According to the state-owned oil firm, while the barge was towed away with a tugboat in custody, five speedboats used in towing the large wooden boat to the illegal loading site were also detained and the particulars of the tugboats and barge used for the operation were reportedly seized for further investigation. It further said that two large boats, which involve
By Akinola Ajibade
The Federal Government should try and subsidise transportation, agricultural and other productive sectors of the economy, while removing subsidies' payment on petroleum products, the Chairman, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Mr Olumide Adeosun, has said.
He said: " If the country had spent monies on subsidies on education, health and infrastructure, Nigerians and their businesses would have been better equipped to face today's energy challenges. However, it is better to be late in recirdding economic growth than never.
He spoke, yesterday, during a one-day workshop in Lagos.
The programme titled Consumer Protection Regulatory Framework Workshop had representatives which was virtually organised, had representatives of both the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission ( FCCPC) and MOMAN in attendance. FCCPC and MOMAN have their headquarters in Abuja and Lagos respectively.
Investments in mass transportation and agriculture, Adeosun argued, would greatly help in improving the Nigerian economy, which for sometime has been lying prostrate and further save her funds that are being invested on fuel subsidy.
Adding that: " MOMAN believes that Nigeria needs to gradually remove the subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit( PMS), while investing or perhaps subsidizing mass transportation and and productive activities in such areas such as agriculture and health"
Continuing further, Adeosun said that Nigerian institutions now have a dimished capacity to deal with the current energy crisis.
Banks, he said, are either not lending to fuel agencies, as they are sceptical about the unfolding developments in the global economies nay the petroleum industry.
He said the market where local fuel marketing companies are operating is completely outside their control, citing the on-going Russian / Ukraine crises, which has advertently affected the prices of petrol at both foreign and local levels.
Similarly, the Executive Commissioner, Operation, FCPCC, Dr Adamu Ahmed Abdullah denounced the claims that diesel, a bye-product of crude oil, is being sold at a more expensive price in Nigeria than any other countries in Africa.
" Diesel is sold in Kenya at the rate of one dollar plus, while the price is different from what is obtainable in other countries. Really, it is of question of how and where they access foreign exchange" Adamu said.
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