By Ntakrok Akwa Ibom
The
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Wednesday, said it had engaged
investors to establish a refinery in Akwa Ibom State.
Speaking
at the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria’s,
PENGASSAN, Triennial Retreat/Synergy workshop in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State, Group
Managing Director of the Mr. Maikanti Kacalla
Baru, said the state was
well-positioned geographically to have a refinery.
He
said, “The investors have been coming to us and I have seen one that is quite
promising. It is in this light that I encouraged these investors to come and
see the state government and discuss.
Baru
explained that although the preferred location of the investors was not Akwa
Ibom State, but he had convinced them to consider establishing the refinery
there, to leverage, especially on the state’s deep coastline.
He
called on the Akwa Ibom State Government to explore partnership opportunities
provided by investors towards establishing the refinery in the state.
Speaking
further Baru called on industry players to brace up for change in the sector,
while he stressed that the current state of the international energy market,
the urgent need to rehabilitate the nation’s refineries as well as the
Petroleum Industry (Governance) Bill currently being considered by the National
Assembly, were dire challenges, necessitating that the industry charts a new
course.
Baru
emphasized that navigating these challenges successfully required strong,
purposeful and focused leadership from stakeholders in an industry where changing
regulatory and macroeconomic realities are imminent.
He
seized the opportunity of the event to commend the Petroleum & Natural Gas
Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, and the Nigerian Union of
Petroleum & Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, for their role in ensuring harmony
in the nation’s Oil and Gas Industry, saying this has helped stabilize
petroleum products supply across the country.
“I
would like to appreciate the support given to us by the two unions, PENGASSAN
and NUPENG. You have over the years exhibited high level of maturity and
partnership. This is evident in your pragmatic approach to issues, your support
during difficult times as well as strategic engagement with industry
stakeholders which has not only guaranteed industrial peace and harmony, but
has also ensured the stable supply of petroleum products across the country,”
Baru stated.
He
assured that NNPC Management would continue to accord priority to staff welfare
and ensure that staff are trained to face the current realities of the
industry.
Baru,
who congratulated PENGASSAN for a successful delegates’ conference, also urged
them to chart a new course for the Union and the oil and gas industry that is
hinged on greater collaboration for improved productivity and innovative ideas
towards growth and development.
Also
speaking, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, said the State
Government had been working hard towards attracting private investors to build
a refinery in the state.
Emmanuel,
who was represented at the occasion by one of his top special advisers, Pastor
Umoh Bassey, urged oil companies in the country to deploy more resources to
sustainable Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects in their host
communities, while he further extolled the strategic role of PENGASSAN in
moving the nation’s economy forward.
The
Governor challenged the industry unions to partner with their employers in the
area of capacity building for the betterment of the industry.
In
his welcome address, the National President of PENGASSAN, Comrade Francis
Johnson, pledged the oil workers’ union commitment to remain “true partners of
progress in the nation’s Oil & Gas Industry.”
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