Nigeria Petroleum Minister Alison-Madueke inaugurates National Refineries Special Task Force

ABUJA, NIGERIA–(07/03/12)- In keeping with the transformation agenda of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration and her resolve to reform the oil and gas industry, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, has inaugurated the National Refineries Special Task Force.

The task force which is charged primarily with the task of working out modalities for Nigeria to attain self-sufficiency in petroleum products refining is headed by former Minister of Finance, Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu, with Mallam Yusuf Alli as alternate chairman.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony which held on Tuesday at the NNPC Towers, Abuja, the Minister said the present administration is keen on finding a lasting solution to the “continued negative trend in the refineries’ performance”.

“It is for this reason we are reaching out to patriotic Nigerians with undisputed credibility from inside as well as outside the industry to brain-storm and seek holistic solutions to re-align our refineries to global standards,” she stated.

Mrs. Alison-Madueke said the task force will, among other things, “review the current state of the refineries vis-à-vis the domestic requirement and design further a roadmap to grow the nation’s refining capacity, both new and existing, to meet its domestic demand”.

She listed the committee’s terms of reference to include: conducting a high level assessment of Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna Refineries, review all past reports and assessments; and the Change Journey Map; reviewing the operations of Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna Refineries, with a view to improving efficiency and commercial viability; working with a world-class firm to audit the finances of Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna Refineries, and produce audited accounts over the past 2 years ending 31st December, 2011; anddesigning a template for Key Production / Management-Critical Performance Indicators to be tracked on a periodic basis for ministerial review.

The other terms of reference for the task force she enumerated are: designing an automated information work bench to monitor the performance of Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna Refineries on an online basis; reviewing all licenses issued for new refineries in Nigeria and assess their operational, technical, and financial readiness; seeking new ideas and designing financial models across the value chain for the building of adequate capacity for meeting local demand for petroleum production; and designing a blueprint for Public & Private Partnerships (PPP) to build small, medium to large-scale greenfield refineries across Nigeria.

Speaking on behalf of the Task Force, the Chairman Dr. Idika Kalu Idika assured the Minister of their readiness to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the three traditional refineries with a view of coming up with a roadmap that will rev-up their production capacity to meet domestic demands of petroleum products.

The 22-man Committee include: Professor Ayo Ogunye, Mr. Imo Itsueli, Engr. M.B. Shehu, Engr. Olumuyiwa Ajibola, Dr. N.J.D Erinne, Engr. Alex Ogedengbe, Mallam Bello Maccido, Engr. Emeka Chikezie, Ene, Mr. Stanley Lawson, Mr. Akin Kekere-Ekun, Arc. (Mrs.) Fatima Wali-Abdurrahman, and Mallam Abba Dabo.

Other members are: Arc. Harcourt Adukeh, Engr. (Mrs.) Mayen Adetiba, Comrade Babatunde Ogun (President, PENGASSAN), Comrade Achese Igwe (President, NUPENG); with the Group Executive Director, Refining and Petrochemicals, NNPC, and the Managing Directors of Port Harcourt Refinery, Warri Refinery and Kaduna Refinery as ex-officio members.

In a similar development, speaking at the end of a two-day internal stakeholders retreat on the downstream sector comprising the NNPC Group and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources in Abuja, the Minister expressed the determination of the Federal Government to rehabilitate the existing traditional refineries and adopt a commercial model to make them profit driven.

“It is our duty to handle the commercial operation of the oil and gas sector and we are committed to radically rehabilitate and refurbish our refineries with the aim of running them efficiently and proficiently,” Mrs. Alison-Madueke informed.

The retreat ended on Tuesday with members of the newly inaugurated task force in attendance with the resolve to adopt an integrated approach to address all the challenges of the downstream sector of the oil and gas sector.

Contact
NNPC Towers, Central Business District,
Herbert Macaulay Way,
P.M.B. 190, Garki, Abuja.
Email: contactus@nnpcgroup.com
Tel: +234 9 460 82500

Reference #756