WELCOME ADDRESS PRESENTED BY THE NATIONAL FACILITATOR, PROJECT WITH ARTISANAL CRUDE OIL REFINERS (PACOR) FOR MODULAR REFINERIES IN THE NIGER DELTA AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, YOUTHS AND ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY CENTRE (YEAC), MR. FYNEFACE DUMNAMENE FYNEFACE AT THE INAUGURATION OF DELTA STATE MODULAR REFINERY MULTI-PURPOSE CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES AND PRESENTATION TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR LICENSES HELD IN WARRI, DELTA STATE ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2021

All already established protocols duly observed.

I welcome each and everyone of you to this epoch-making event to inaugurate and present to the Federal Government, Modular Refinery Multi-Purpose Co-operative Societies for artisanal crude oil refiners in Delta State for Licenses.

This event is the outcome of many years of advocacy at Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC). We have gotten this far with the supports and partnerships with both local and international development partners, organizations, institutions and individuals like you driven by the need to collectively contribute in support of government efforts to provide alternative livelihood opportunities for artisanal crude oil refiners in the Niger Delta through Modular Refineries as proposed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in February 2017 during his tour of the region. Over the years, we have sensitized many artisanal and ex-artisanal crude oil refiners across the Niger Delta. We have also trained them on guidelines for the establishment of Modular Refineries. We created databased of some artisanal and ex-artisanal crude oil refiners in the region through both forms circulated in communities and short code 33811 messages from their phones as launched on December 10, 2019 in Rivers State.

In response to ours and other intense collaborative advocacies and mass media actions, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR represented by the Minister of State for Environment, Mrs. Sharon Ikeazor while inaugurating National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) laboratory in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital on January 10, 2020 called for the registration of artisanal crude oil refiners which we already started in 2019 and Formation of Co-operative Societies for Modular Refinery Licenses. This statement from the President strengthened our work and efforts in the mobilization of artisanal refiners across the Niger Delta with more youths voluntarily abandoning the act, joined the Modular Refinery Movement and embracing the Government-Proposed Modular Refineries for job creation and environmental sustainability in the region.

To further save our environment by providing alternative livelihoods for the crude oil refiners, we progressed from there in the middle of the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020 to add that the Federal Government establishes a “Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative (PACORDI)” for artisanal crude oil refiners in the Niger Delta similar to the “Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative (PAGMI)” in parts of the North and Western Nigeria. All these efforts attracted further reactions from the Government and on March 16 and 17, 2021, the Federal Government organized the National Submit for the Integration of Artisanal/Modular Petroleum Refinery Operations in Nigeria into the economy at Sheraton Hotel, Abuja. ADVOCACY CENTRE was invited to the National Submit and we participated.

This journey and achievements so far with the inauguration today have not been without some challenges. We have had funding challenges. We have had some friends and partners who tried to betray us while some others threatened us that this project ideas belonged to them-one of which is being addressed in a Rivers State High Court in Suit No. PHC/1057/CS/2021 where we have gone to seek redress. However, we give God the glory that we have not allowed these challenges to either made us abandon this project or way us down because, as the vision-bearers, none other person can do it better than we can before we hand-over to those we have trained and shared the vision with. Thus, we will continue with our works for the society, youths and environmental protection through our mandate of strengthening community-based advocacy in the Niger Delta through multi-stakeholder engagement.

As we gather to inaugurate and present to the Federal Government today, the Delta North Modular Refinery Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Ltd; Delta Central Modular Refinery Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Ltd and Delta South Modular Refinery Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Ltd, I call on all artisanal crude oil refiners in Delta State to stop the act, join these Co-operative Societies for transition to Modular Refineries. I also call on the Governor of Delta State, His Excellency Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, the State Government, the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and all other Senators, House of Representative Members, Delta State House of Assembly Members as well as traditional rulers and all well-meaning individuals and the general Delta State public to give these Co-operative Societies and their leadership all the supports necessary for them to succeed in their mission to have Modular Refinery Licenses, construct the Modular Refineries with less environmental pollution tendencies, create jobs for the youths and contribute to solving Nigeria’s energy crisis with reduction in the importation of petroleum products among many others.

I thank you for finding time to be here as history is made today.

FYNEFACE DUMNAMENE FYNEFACE,

National Facilitator, Project with Artisanal Crude oil Refiners (PACOR) for Modular Refineries in the Niger Delta and Executive Director, Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC).

fyneface@centreadvocacy.org