Port Harcourt Refinery: Minister Asks Nigerians To Hold Him Responsible For Every Dollar Spent

Sylva has stated that Nigerians can hold him accountable for every cent spent in rehabilitating the Port Harcourt refinery.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has asked Nigerians to hold him responsible for every dollar spent on the renovation of the Port Harcourt refinery in Rivers State.

He disclosed this in a television programme monitored by Nairametrics on Sunday.

He said, “Nigerians can hold me accountable and hold this government accountable for every dollar, every cent on this refinery and ensure that we deliver a refinery that works.

“We’re not lying to Nigerians. We’ve told you that this is going to be in three phases and the first phase is definitely going to be within the tenure of this administration.”

According to the Minister, President Muhammadu Buhari wants to leave behind a legacy of functional refineries for Nigerians. The Minister also noted that the rehabilitation would take 18 months and the first phase would get the refinery to 90 percent operational capacity.

What you should know

• Last Wednesday, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the sum of $1.5 billion for the immediate rehabilitation of the largest refining firm in the country, the Port Harcourt refinery, according to Nairametrics.
• This followed a memo by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources on its rehabilitation, which was presented to the council and its subsequent approval on March 17, 2021.
• According to a tweet post by Bashir Ahmad, the Personal Assistant to the President on New Media, on his official Twitter handle, this disclosure was made by Sylva, while briefing State House correspondents, after the FEC meeting on Wednesday, March 17, 2021.