GROUP PHOTOGRAPH AT THE INAUGURATION OF DELTA STATE MODULAR REFINERY MULTI-PURPOSE CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES AND PRESENTATION TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR LICENSES, RECENTLY.
From Blessing Ibunge, Port Harcourt
An environment group, Environmental Advocacy Centre, YEAC, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari, to ensure the establishment of Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refinishing Development Initiative (PACORDI), for artisanal refiners in the Niger Delta region.
The request was among the recommendations in an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari by YEAC and signed by it’s Executive Director of YEAC, Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface.
The group sought that modular refinery licenses be issued to repentant artisanal refiners, who are registered into co-operative societies, a way from discouraging them from returning to the creeks.
They recalled that in 2017 during a tour in Niger Delta as Acting President, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, pronounced the establishment of modular refinery which formed the sensitisation and training of youths in artisanal crude oil refining to stop pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft and environmental pollution among others in the region.
The letter stated this: “I bring you and the Federal Government greetings from Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC), National Facilitators of Project with Artisanal Crude Oil Refiners (PACOR) for Modular Refineries in the Niger Delta as approved and incorporated by Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in our objectives.
“Following your pronouncement on Modular Refinery for youths involved in artisanal crude oil refining in the Niger Delta through Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in 2017 during his tour of the region, we have been sensitizing and training youths involved in artisanal crude oil refining to stop pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft and environmental pollution among others in the Niger Delta.
“In 2019, we commenced the process of registering the artisanal refiners for the formation of Co-operative Societies for Modular refineries and we were glad when on January 10, 2020 during your inauguration of National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) laboratory in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State represented by the Minister of State for Environment, Mrs. Sharon Ikeazor you directed that artisanal crude oil refiners are registered and formed into Co-operative Societies for Modular Refinery Licenses.
‘It is against these brief backgrounds that we write you this open letter to formally present to you, three Modular Refinery Multi-Purpose Co-operative Societies of artisanal crude oil refiners in Delta State for you to issue them Modular Refinery Licenses as promised. They are; Delta North Modular Refinery Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Ltd with Christian Obokana as President; Delta Central Modular Refinery Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Ltd with Cyril Oghenevwede, as President and Delta South Modular Refinery Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Ltd with Clever Donokoromor as President. These three Co-operative Societies are also today collectively inaugurated as the pioneer members of ‘Delta State Association of Modular Refinery Multi-Purpose Co-operative Societies’ with Clever Donokoromor as the Chairman.
“These are the authentic platforms of the real artisanal crude oil refiners who have stopped and embraced your policy on Modular Refineries as alternative means of livelihood in Delta State. In the days ahead, we will inaugurate and also present to you, Modular Refinery Co-operative Societies in other Niger Delta States.
“While thanking you for taking this bold step to address issues around youths and artisanal crude oil refining in the Niger Delta through Modular Refineries, it is our recommendation that you speed-up the process and also kindly consider and establish a “Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative (PACORDI)” for artisanal crude oil refiners in the Niger Delta, similar to the “Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative (PAGMI)” in parts of the North and Western Nigeria.”
However, they expressed hope that “We look forward to having you issue Modular Refinery Licenses to these Co-operative Societies so that they do not cite Government unseriousness and return to the creeks to cause more damage to oil facilities and our fragile environment”.
YEAC promised to continue to partner with government to address all the issues in the Niger Delta as it affects oil, gas and the environment, so as to strengthen the facilitation of international development partners to co-fund the Modular Refinery projects for artisanal crude oil refiners in the Niger Delta.
