Toxic fuel importation: HOMEF call for investigation, demands transparency
Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), has called for investigation into allegations of importing and foisting ‘dirty’ fuels on Nigerians.
HOMEF made the call in reaction to the feud between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) and Dangote Refineries.
The group in a statement signed by HOMEF Media/Communication Lead, Kome Odhomor, on Thursday, noted that the NNPCL’s inability to refine petroleum products has been an enormous shame and embarrassment to the nation.
“It is time for the NNPC to come clear on the questions over the quality of products imported petroleum products as well as those coming out of the Dangote Refinery. Nigerians also deserve to know what volume of shares it holds in the refinery.
“The public deserves clarity about what is also going on with regard to subsidies on imported petroleum products since the purported elimination of subsidies provided one of the planks aiding the economic strangulation of the Nigerian peoples.”
“Over the decades, NNPCL’s poor performance has forced Nigeria into the vice grip of forces of exploitation of colonial proportions, making her the largest exporter of crude oil and, at the same time, the largest importer of refined products of dubious quality,” it said.
HOMEF, Executive Director, Nnimmo Bassey, noted that the company has epitomised one of the worst that can be imagined of any raw material exporter post-colonial state anywhere in the world.
He explained that while HOMEF acknowledges the high ecological costs of the entire petroleum industry value chain, it regrets that the failure of the comatose NNPC refineries is a critical factor that has allowed toxic bush refineries to proliferate and fill the yawning gaps.
“The importation of refined petroleum products has equally foisted heavy economic pressures on the hapless citizens of Nigeria.
“The arrival of the Dangote Refinery has its own huge ecological baggage, especially regarding the plight of neighboring communities and the general environment.
Besides, there are bigger issues related to the creation and operation of what has come to be known as economic zones of exemption.
“HOMEF is alarmed by the cloudy controversies around the Dangote Refinery.
“The role of the NNPC in the unfolding disputes highlights the opacity of the sector and the inbuilt booby-traps in the regulatory frameworks under which the sector operates. Nigeria entered the oil
refining business shortly after independence, with the first refinery built in Port Harcourt to meet domestic needs and curb overreliance on importation.
