Senate disowns fraud report in refineries’ rehabilitation

Senate on Thursday, disowned the alleged report of a fraud in the Turn Around Maintenance of the nation’s refineries currently being undertaken by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL.

This is just as the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPCL, Mr. Mele Kyari, assured Nigerians that the rehabilitation of the refineries would be completed on schedule.

He specifically said the Port Harcourt refinery would come on stream within the next two weeks while the Kaduna refinery would start producing by December this year.

Kyari spoke when he appeared before the Senate adhoc committee probing the Turn Around Maintenance undertaken by the Federal Government through the NNPCL.

Chairman of the Senate adhoc panel, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, told his colleagues that he already had some documents on the TAM and that no fraudulent practice had been discovered in the exercise.

Senator Ubah said the country would want to know that progress is being made on the rehabilitation of the refineries

He said: “I have seen some documents indicating that something is being done and there is nothing to suggest that there is a foul play in the exercise.”

He said members of the committee would visit all the refineries with a view to ascertaining the progress of work there so that a comprehensive report would be presented to the Senate in plenary soonest.

A member of the adhoc committee, Senator Mpigi Barnada, urged the NNPCL management to pay attention to the security challenges in the oil rich region.

Specifically, he said it would not augur well if the refineries are fixed and insecurity prevented crude from getting there.

Briefing journalists after the engagement, Kyari gave update on the progress of works already achieved.

He said: “In the next two weeks, we are to start producing more products. Completion mechanical has been achieved at the Port Harcourt refinery.

“We are done with rehabilitation work there , now you are to test if this completion is okay.

“As for Warri, we have also completed the mechanical works on it and it is undergoing the regulatory compliance processes that we are doing with our regulator. This also will be completed and it will be ready.

“Kaduna refinery will be ready by December, we have not reached that stage with the Kaduna refinery.

“All crude lines are active and have actually delivered over 450,000 barrels into Port Harcourt refinery.

“We are confident of the integrity of it. Yes, there may be security issues, but also government is responding to the situation.”