Is The Complete Shutdown of Illegal Local Refineries: A Full-Proof Plan?

The situation in Nigeria today is one that requires thinking outside the box for solutions. The approach to prevailing over the obvious challenges has to be diiferent enough to be effective. The dominant issues in Nigeria at present includes, but not limited to Crude Oil refining and related issues, Corruption and loot recovery, Power generation and consumption among others.

There is a way to approach these issues. When conventional methods are slow to yield immediate results, the unconventional methods can be considered so long as the primary object is reached.

On Crude Oil refining, but for the fact that Nigerian Refineries are not fully operational there is scarcity of petroleum products, a scenerio that has greatly affected the entire Nigerian state hence the strong dependence on Independent Oil Marketers who in turn have to import before the same is distributed country-wide and at high rates.

The situation could have been remedied if the illegal local refineries that were recently shutdown were extended the curtsey of being incorporated into the mainstream oil production. The how is simple enough. These illegal local refineries could easily have been taken under the control of the Federal Government - FG instead, be inproved into small and medium sized refineries and operational, atleast untill the Kaduna, Warri and Port Harcourt refineries commence large scale production of petrol. Shutting down completely means that the country has no way to ease the pressing fuel crises that has escalated the prices of consumer productions and transportation.

In related events, it would be constructive to shine a beam on Black markers who hoad fuel especially in times like this, people who are receiving the blunt of the punishment as directed by FG while the real culprits - managers of Filling Stations get off albert too easily. These are Filling Stations with fuel yet refuse to sell to motorists at the FG approved price but are more than willing to sell to Black marketers who are looking to make profit. On top of that, cases of metre adjustment by the managers of these Filling stations is still very much an issue. To be within reason, one has to ask if Black marketers are the only ones to face the full force of the law. Civil Defence Corps, the agency charged with arresting Black marketers should also be directed to closely monitor Filling Stations at all times to keep them from selling fuel to Black marketers.

The FG, through President Buhari, is no doubt doing the best it can to push Nigeria forward in the midst of all the confusion that the fight against corruption and loot recovery has presented, but stabilizing the Nigerian economy also means doing things differently for a change.