By Chuks Ajah
Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, flatly denied his own representative, Tuesday, saying he never sent HIM TO declare that he (Minister) had directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, to stop running its own refineries and face its equity participation in other refineries squarely.
The Minister, in a statement he personally issued on Tuesday, shredded the claim attributed to Engineer Kamoru Busari, the Director of Upstream in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, who represented him at a recent conference in Lagos.
Lokpobiri said he never directed the NNPCL to stop running its own refineries, saying that the claim does not represent his position overseeing the oil sector, nor reflect the position of the Federal Government.
“My attention has been drawn to statements attributed to Engr. Kamoru Busari, Director of Upstream in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, who represented me at a recent conference in Lagos,” the Minister said in the release.
“I wish to categorically state that the claim that I directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to stop running its own refineries and focus solely on equity participation in other refineries is false.
“This does not represent my position as Minister overseeing the oil sector, nor does it reflect the stance of the Federal Government.
“It is important to clarify that NNPCL is a company governed under the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), with a functional board and management. The Ministry of Petroleum Resources does not control or run NNPCL, as it operates independently like any corporate entity.”
The Federal government, the Minister added, remains committed to promoting in-country refining.
“The oil and gas sector is fully deregulated,” Lokpobiri continued, “and the Nigerian government remains committed to promoting in-country refining. We encourage companies, including NNPCL, to operate independently and follow global best practices. While we provide strategic guidance, we do not interfere directly in the operations of these companies.
“I reaffirm our commitment to supporting the growth and independence of NNPCL, ensuring that its operations are in line with international standards for efficiency, transparency and profitability.”
