President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to commission the first phase of a brand new petroleum refinery, which is located at Ibigwe, Imo State and owned by oil and gas integrated firm, Waltersmith Limited, this week.
The Federal Government holds a stake in the refinery, following an investment by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
READ: Leo Stan Ekeh, the whiz who launched Nigeria’s first locally manufactured computers
This disclosure was made by the presidency through a tweet post on his official Twitter handle on Sunday, November 21, 2020.
The presidency in its tweet post said, “This week President Muhammadu Buhari will commission the first phase of a brand new petroleum refinery by WalterSmith Limited, located at Ibigwe in Imo State. The Nigerian Government holds a stake in the refinery, following an investment by NCDMB.”
READ: Irate Nigerians drag Imo State Governor for snubbing Innoson Vehicles
The phase 1 of the project is the delivery of 5,000 barrels per day (BPD) Modular capacity refinery that is strategically located near the existing flow station and will process the circa 6,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) currently produced by the upstream business to the readily available market in the south-eastern part of Nigeria.
This is expected to contribute about 271 million litres of refined products including Diesel, Naptha, HFO and Kerosene annually to the domestic market and create both direct and indirect jobs particularly within the host communities.
READ: Dangote urged to extend investments to Tanzanian oil industry
The second phase is the delivery of 25,000 BPD crude and condensates refinery; an upgrade on the 5,000bpd modular refinery.
The project is still at an early stage of development but is designed to produce the following products: gasoline, diesel, LPG, kerosene and aviation fuel.
READ: CAC to implement new technology for business registration, customers to print certificates
This is a huge boost to the Federal Government’s efforts to increase the country’s refining capacity of petroleum products and stop its importation.
Apart from the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote refinery that is expected to come on stream, there are several other modular refineries that are expected to take off.
READ: CBN grants licenses to 3 Payment Service Banks
Explore Data on the Nairametrics Research Website
This week President @MBuhari will Commission the first Phase of a brand new Petroleum Refinery by WalterSmith Limited, located at Ibigwe in Imo State. The @NigeriaGov holds a stake in the Refinery, following an investment by @OfficialNCDMB: https://t.co/BMlW8p8gMR
— Presidency Nigeria (@NGRPresident) November 22, 2020
Why can’t Buhari commissioner something on electricity, roads and water? The are the urgent needs of ordinary people. The generators are poisoning an killing people. People need lights more than refineries. Refineries are for rich politicians who have card. Why o why for God’s sake, people are crying for help. What is really about generators that the politicians are so scared that they don’t want to talk about it? All it needs is a stroke of the pen. In some parts of the country, people have been without electricity for year, months, weeks. The rich and the poor are the same human beings created by God. Why cater for the rich only.
This is goof gradually we will be there.