A GOODWILL MESSAGE PRESENTED BY FYNEFACE DUMNAMENE FYNEFACE, NIGER DELTA COORDINATOR OF ARTISANAL REFINERS FOR MODULAR REFINERIES AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, YOUTHS AND ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY CENTRE (YEAC) AT THE NATIONAL SUMMIT ON THE INTEGRATION OF ARTISANAL AND MODULAR PETROLEUM REFINERIES IN NIGERIA ORGANIZED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HELD ON TUESDAY, MARCH 16TH AND WEDNESDAY 17TH 2021 AT SHERATON HOTEL, ABUJA-FCT
A GOODWILL MESSAGE PRESENTED BY FYNEFACE DUMNAMENE FYNEFACE, NIGER DELTA COORDINATOR OF ARTISANAL REFINERS FOR MODULAR REFINERIES AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, YOUTHS AND ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY CENTRE (YEAC) AT THE NATIONAL SUMMIT ON THE INTEGRATION OF ARTISANAL AND MODULAR PETROLEUM REFINERIES IN NIGERIA ORGANIZED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HELD ON TUESDAY, MARCH 16TH AND WEDNESDAY 17TH 2021 AT SHERATON HOTEL, ABUJA-FCT.
All protocols duly observed
We thank the Federal Government for organizing this very important summit to address issues associated with artisanal refineries in Nigeria and inviting us to be part of it. We particularly thank President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR for initiating this process through Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo who made the pronouncement on Modular Refineries in 2017 during his tour of some States in the Niger Delta. Since that pronouncement, we have been sensitizing and training artisanal refiners across the Niger Delta on “Guidelines for the establishment of Modular Refineries” and other alternative means of livelihoods. On December 10, 2019, we foresightedly collaborated, flagged-off and commenced the registration and creation of database of Niger Delta artisanal refiners among other youths for the formation of Cooperative Societies for Modular Refineries. To achieve this, we circulated free Registration Forms with customized serial numbers and also signed contract with MTN, Airtel, 9Mobile and Glo through a Lagos-Based Short SMS Code company for a secured online database that enabled them text YEAC Full name, sex, age, name of community, highest academic qualification, LGA and State of residence, etc. to 33811. This registration process received a boost when President Muhammadu Buhari represented by Minister of State for Environment, Mrs. Sharon Ikeazor during the commissioning of NOSDRA Laboratory in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on January 10, 2020 called for the registration of artisanal refiners and formation of Cooperative Societies for Modular Refinery Licenses. As at today, both local and international partners are reaching out and discussing to invest when Government issues licenses.
We endorse all the objectives of this summit as published. We see this summit as a beacon of hope that can address issues around artisanal refining in Nigeria including associated pipeline vandalism, oil theft, environmental pollution and insecurity in the region if its outcome is legalized and implemented holistically.
Finally, we hereby request that the Modular Refinery Licenses especially the License to Establish (LTE) which is the most expensive of the three licenses should be subsidized by about 70% for artisanal refiners. Again, since most of the artisanal refiners that this summit is meant to benefit could not travel to Abuja, we request that after this National Summit, we should have regional summits organized in each of the oil producing states in the Niger Delta so that other artisanal refiners can participate and benefit from the knowledge to be shared. We also request for the establishment of Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative (PACORDI) for the integration of artisanal crude oil refining into the national economy like the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative (PAGMI) in parts of the North and Western Nigeria that earlier integrated illegal gold mining into the national economy.
We look forward to partnering more with the Federal Government to achieve the objectives of this summit for a prosperous, environmentally sustainable Niger Delta and Nigeria.
God Bless Niger Delta and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Thank You