The New Ministers Of States In The Petroleum Ministry, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, Who Was Recently Designated With The Minister Of State(Oil) Portfolio In The Ministry, And His Counterpart, Minister Of State(Gas), Honourable Ekperikpe Ekpo, Arrived In Port Harcourt On Friday, The Rivers State Capital, South South Nigeria, In Their First Official Engagement, To Attend The Refineries Steering Committee Meeting.
The Ministers Who Were Accompanied By The Group Chief Executive Officer Of The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPC Ltd, Mele Kyari Are Expected To Take A Facility Tour Of The Port Harcourt Refinery Complex Plants To Access The Level Of Progress On The Ongoing Rehabilitation Work At The Refinery, The Team According To Reports Is Also Expected To Engage With The Refinery’s Engineering Contractors In The Cause Of The Visit.
The Visit Is Coming Amidst Growing Concerns Over The Huge Funds Already Invested In The Rehabilitation Works On The Refinery, Without Much Results In Terms Of Getting The Refinery Work Optimally, To Facilitate The Country’s Capacity To Refine It’s Crude Oil Locally, In 2021, The Buhari Administration Approved A Total Sum Of 1.5Billion U.S Dollars For The Rehabilitation Of The Port Harcourt Refinery, With A Cumulative Total Sum Of 19Billion U.S Dollars, Said To Have Been Invested In Upgrade Of Existing Refineries In The Last Eight Years Of Former President, Mohammadu Buhari’s Administration.
