A university don has advocated a law to make the local refining of crude oil mandatory to check supply shortages and to improve the economy of the country.
Prof. Abdullahi Dan’Asabe-Jibrin, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Federal University of Lafia (FULafia), made the call at the 3rd Seminar of the faculty, on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, in Lafia, Nasarawa State.
Dan’Asabe-Jibrin, Professor of Political Economy and Development, spoke on: “Nigeria State and Oil Sector: A Trajectory of Power, Politics and Poverty”.
He explained that at the moment crude oil was produced in nine out of the 36 states in the country with five core states accounting for more than two-thirds of the production.
He listed the states to include Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross-River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo, and Rivers.
He added that the Niger Delta Basin was the largest producer along the West African coast with 246 production fields and 3, 446 active wells.
“How can Nigeria, which is one of the largest oil-producing countries in Africa and with enormous potential, rely on foreign refineries for its domestic consumption?” he said.
According to him, the government should fix the refineries in the country and ensure that the four refineries operate optimally.
He explained that if the Dangote refinery was producing and the four government refineries were also working, it would guarantee the availability and affordability of petroleum products in the country.
“Dangote refinery alone can produce petroleum products for domestic consumption and exports,” he added.
Dan’Asabe-Jibrin suggested that governments should build modular refineries and give private investors the licence to build more to meet the energy needs of Nigerians.
The professor called on the government to fight corruption, which was major impediments in the oil sector and return fuel subsidies to reduce the hardship being faced by the people.
In his remarks, Prof. Shehu Abdul-Rahman, Vice Chancellor (VC) of the university, said that the seminar series was introduced to enable researchers to share knowledge to address societal problems.
Abdul-Rahman encouraged other researchers to investigate more and provide theories and practical solutions to the contemporary challenges confronting the country to help those in positions of authority.
The Vice-Chancellor promised that the institution would reward the faculties and departments that performed best in academic activities and encouraged all in attendance to utilise the takeaways from the seminar.
By Sunday John
