Issues
Ndoni Refinery: To Be, Not To Be?
The objective and vision of the Federal Government to deregulate the downstream sub-sector of the oil and gas industry may not have achieved the desired result. Virtually all government and private sectors investments and initiatives in floating refineries to meet local consumption of petroleum products are yet to see the light of the day. The puzzle everyone has been battling with is to ascertain the problem with a view to solving it.
Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Directorate of Petroleum Resources and Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) have in the past decade granted provisional licenses to a couple of local and foreign investors for the establishment of refineries in the country, yet none can be said to have come on stream, several years after getting the greenlight from relevant agencies.
The reasons for the anomaly may not be far-fetched as investors persistently accuse the government of insecurity and not providing the enabling environment for smooth take off of the approved refineries.
Perhaps, that is why President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration is currently pushing forward the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), which is before the National Assembly to remove all the bottlenecks and constraints facing the oil and gas industry as to ensure that investors have confidence in the sector. Not even the proposed refineries under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative is working out.
In the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, the hub of the country’s oil and gas industry, a couple of refineries which had been granted licenses were yet to take off many years after licenses were approved, primarily because of obvious constraints.
In 2008, the Rivers State Government announced plans to build a refinery at Ndoni in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA) of the state. In furtherance of this plan, the government reportedly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with an indigenous firm-Shayaz Nigeria Limited for the building of the 200 metric tonnes refinery.
News of the proposed project was a cheerly one across ONELGA and Rivers State as the coming on stream of the refinery was expected to, not only improve access to petroleum products which had, over the years become difficult but will also provide jobs to the people with attendant positive multiplier effect on families.
Investigations have revealed that the proposed Rivers State refinery at Ndoni was estimated to cost N3 billion and was to be built in modular form within 18 months.
It was to have an equity share holding of 20 per cent for Rivers State government and 80 per cent for Shayaz Nigeria Limited and foreign partners and expected to provide over 3,000 jobs.
Unfortunately, the failure of the project to take off has remined a puzzle to many, particularly people from the catchment area of the proposed project, considering the initial enthusiasm shown by parties involved in the project.
Chief Valentine Odili Obi, a native of Ndoni who spoke to The Tide on the state of the project, said Shayaz Nigeria Limited had cleared the project site on three different occasions, preparatory for commencement of the project but said government inability to provide the operational licence for it, was major contributory factor to the delay in its take off.
“We appeal to government to initiate action towards the commencement of the refinery project, because it will create job opportunities, improve the economy of the state and federal government and reduce violence in the society”, said Obi who is also community liaison officer of Shayaz Nigeria limited for the project.
Obi who said the provision of the operational licence was critical to accessing funds for the project explained that Shayaz had over the years made several efforts, including inviting its foreign partners to meet state government officials, but the efforts were to no avail.
According to the Shayaz’s CLO, his company had met all the conditions required of it, including the deposit of a $1 billion as collateral with Bank PHB, for the commencement of the project.
“Maybe, the Petroleum Industry Bill which is at the National Assembly may also be an additional cause of delay as the bill when passed into law is expected to provide incentives to investors”, Obi said.
Also speaking to The Tide, Barrister Henry Odili who said he was brought in as legal consultant to Shayaz Nigeria Limited in respect of the Ndoni refinery project insisted that only the Commissioner for Energy and the state government were in the best position to tell the people what was happening to the project.
Odili said that government, at various times during negotiations on the project, raised various issues including the deposit of $1 billion, which he said, Shayaz through Bank PHB provided the collateral and security for the project, as regulated by the state government.
According to him, as one issue was being solved, others cropped up. “I couldn’t be sure if we were being sincerely dealt with”, he lamented.
He alleged that the acquisition of operational licence by government was characterised by intrigues and everything said about it was in the realm of rumours.
“I haven’t sighted the licence”, he said, insisting that government needs to implement its side of the MoU.
The Shayaz legal consultant accused some highly placed and influential individuals in government of hatching a game-plan to take the refinery project away from the company. “It was as if they were looking for an excuse to stop the project”, he declared.
It was learnt that under the MoU, the state government was to provide the land, operational licence, EIA security, and the enabling environment while Shayaz provides the feasibility study, funding and management of the project in 20- 80 per cent equity shares to the state and investors respectively.
However, in an exclusive interview with The Tide, the State Commissioner for Energy and Natural resources, Hon. Okey Amadi said the Ndoni refinery was not in view for now as government is putting finishing touches towards floating a $2.5 billion refinery at Ikpokiri in Ogu/Bolo local government area.
Hon. Amadi explained that though he inherited the Ndoni refinery proposal, but the state government’s priority for now is the modular refinery to be built by foreign investors from United States of America (USA), Britain, Germany and Korea in Ogu/Bolo.
He affirmed that government has already entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the investors on 20-80 percent equity shares, adding that the partners are already constructing administrative and residential blocks at Trans-Amadi industrial layout, Port Harcourt for smooth take off.
The Commissioner did not however rule out the possibility of the Ndoni refinery project in future as, according to him, there is “nothing wrong with Rivers State playing host to two or more refineries as they will provide thousands of jobs for the teeming unemployed youths, and business climate and opportunities for businessmen and women.
But the puzzle still remains: will Ndoni proposed refinery for which land has been acquired and cleared thrice since Odili’s administration till date ever come on stream someday? Time will tell!
Goodluck Ukwe & Donald Mike-Jaja
This is an open letter to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike.
Your Excellency,
Sir, ordinarily, I would not be writing an open letter to you, but like a wise man once said, “Silence would be Treason.” So I prefer to stay alive than face the consequences of silence in the face of crime. With each passing day, and as the socio-political tides continue to turn, it has become more pertinent that more people speak up in a concerted MANNER to prevent the death of our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as we appear to be, in the words of W. B. Yeats, “turning and turning in the widening gyre” heading for an end where the falcon will no longer hear the falconer
It is unfortunate that since losing control of the Federal Government, with the loss of President Goodluck Jonathan at the poll in 2015, our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has continued on a downward spiral. It is much more painful, that where it is expected that leaders within the party should rise to the challenge and put an end to this decline of our great party, some have instead taken up roles as its undertaker.
It will be hypocritical to claim aloofness to what I believe is your grouse with the PDP and I am not a hypocrite. It will be uncharitable on my part to discountenance the role you have played in strengthening the PDP from 2015 up until the last Presidential primaries of the party. It is my belief that your grouse against certain members of the party who you perceived worked against the party and abandoned it in 2015 and then came around much later to take control of the party, is justified. Also know that your decision to remain in the Party and stifle its progress on the other hand, as a sort of payback, stands condemned. For a man of your pedigree and stature, it is a dishonorable act, highly dishonorable and stands as testimony against all you claim to stand for.
At least, it can be argued that those who you hold this grudge against, abandoned the party completely and did not sit back while actively working to destroy it from within. But what then can be the argument on your own part, seeing that those you are currently working with against your party are the same people who set in motion, and executed surgically, the plans that not only ended our Party’s leadership at the centre, but ended up dislodging the first Niger Deltan to occupy Aso Rock as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. Is this not akin to “cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face?” That will be worse than folly. Let us not throw away the baby with the bath water because we do not like the soap used in bathing the baby. It will be a grave mistake.
Honourable Minister, sir, it is rather unfortunate that of all people, you have also decided to play the role of an undertaker not only for our party, but for our dear Rivers State.
I will like to take you down memory lane a little. Let me remind you of your emergence as Guber candidate of the PDP in Rivers State, against all fairness and justice in 2014. You will remember that despite the reality being that you as an Ikwerre man was poised to replace a fellow Ikwerre man in Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in our multiethnic state, Rivers people overwhelmingly stood by you and pushed for your emergence as Executive Governor of Rivers State in 2015. I dare say that your popularity in the entire Niger Delta region was at an all-time high at this point.
I want you to understand why you were loved across board leading to your eventual emergence as Governor of Rivers State in 2015; it was because when it looked like all were against the second term ambitions of the first Niger Delta man to emerge as President of Nigeria, you became not just a pillar but a beacon of resistance by standing for Goodluck Jonathan. Rivers people, as grateful and rewarding as they can be, paid you back by ensuring your electoral victory against the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC) led by your predecessor. On your emergence, where there were second term Governors in the region, you, a first term Governor, was seen by the people as not just the leader of the PDP, but the leader of the entire Niger Delta region. You earned it, and no one could dispute it.
In 2019, when your re-election bid was being challenged ferociously, Rivers people once again stood solidly behind you. Many were killed in the process of defending your votes. Do you remember Dr. Ferry Gberegbe that was shot and killed while trying to protect your votes in Khana Local Government Area? There are many more unnamed and unrecognised sons and daughters of Rivers State who sacrificed their lives so that you could emerge as a second term Governor of Rivers State.
In 2022/23, Honourable Minister, you oversaw a party primary across board that saw some candidates imprisoned and internal party democracy jettisoned for your wishes, leading to the emergence of flag bearers of our party all singlehandedly picked by you. You have on more than one occasion publicly stated that you paid for all their forms. Even those shortchanged in this process licked their wounds and continued to play their roles as party members to ensure the success of the party at all levels. In what will go down as one of the most keenly contested elections in recent Rivers history, with formidable candidates like Senator Magnus Abe of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mr Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the vibrant youth driven Labour Party (LP), PDP emerged victorious across board except for Phalga Constituency 1 that was lost to the Labour Party. (Not that you did not loose in some other LGA’s but let’s stick to the official figures declared by INEC).
It begs the question, why then do you want to burn down Rivers State, when everyone who now holds political office emerged through a process designed and endorsed by you? Is it that you do not care about Rivers people and you are all about yourself? If so, I am forced to believe that those around you are not telling you the truth. The truth being that in a state where your words were law; where houses and businesses could be demolished or closed down without any recourse to legalities, where Executive Orders could be deployed to stifle the opposition, that your popularity is now at an all-time low. Probably because they are afraid of you, or of losing the benefits they gain from you, they fail to tell you that what you might perceive as a battle against your successor, has slowly but gradually degenerating into a battle against Rivers State and Rivers people. You know, there is a popular saying that, a man can cook for the community and the community will finish the food, but when a community decides to cook for one man, the reverse is the case.
LEAVE FUBARA ALONE
You have gone on and on about being betrayed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara. You point fingers forgetting that some of those same fingers quick to spot betrayals point straight back at you. It is not Governor Fubara that has betrayed the PDP by working against it in the just concluded General Election, and working with the opposition at the State and Federal level to destabilise the party. It is you, Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that betrayed Rivers people by instigating a political crisis with propensity to escalate ethnic tensions in Rivers State. It is you Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that has declared himself God over all in Rivers State and has no qualms with burning the state to the ground to prove a point. It is you Honourable Minister. It is you Honourable Minister who told the world that the APC was a cancer and you can never support a cancerous party. It is you Honourable Minister who ended up facilitating the emergence of the same “cancerous” APC that has accelerated the economic decline of this country and further impoverished our people with no remorse. All so you can be a Minister of the Federal Capital Territory? The lack of self awareness is gobsmacking.
Some days back I came across a video where you talked about death and how you do not cry when you hear about the death of some people because you have no idea what might have caused it considering many a politician swear “over dead bodies” and still go back on their words. Those words made me think, and I could see the reason behind them. You see, in chosing to be God in the affairs of Rivers people, you have closed your eyes and ears to reason; you see nothing and hear nothing that can cause you to rethink on the path you have chosen. In your quest to “show Fubara” you have unwittingly united a vast majority of Rivers people behind him, so much that even those who despised him because of you, now like or love him, because of you too. In your scheming, I will advise you not to forget that “the voice of the people is the voice of God”.
Note that the war which you have or are waging against Governor Fubara, has gone beyond being merely political as you might see in your minds eye. It is now one that, fortunately for some and unfortunately for others, has evolved into a war against Rivers people. It is good to point out that no one has taken a stand against Rivers people and won. No one has gone against God and won. In your defiant characteristic manner, it will be unfortunate if you believe your own hubris and that of those around you on the possibility of you being the first to successfully go against Rivers people. It will be a needless gamble; one where if you win you create more enemies for yourself than you can withstand on your political journey, and if you lose, your legacy becomes an inglorious and irredeemable one in Rivers State, the Niger Delta, and Nigeria at large. For your sake as regards posterity, it is my greatest wish that you have a moment of sobriety and a deep reflection and introspection on this path you have chosen.
Honourable Minister, sir, what is left of your legacy is on the brink of being completely desecrated and relegated to the dustbin of our political history, and it will be a sad end to what I will say has been a wonderful political career that many can only dream of. The ball is in your court, and may God Almighty have mercy on us all and forgive us for our shortcomings.
Gabriel Baritulem Pidomson
Dr Pidomson is former Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt and former member, Rivers State House of Assembly.
In 2015, I made a conscious decision to invest my financial resources, my time, and energy into supporting Nyesom Wike’s gubernatorial campaign. I poured my heart and soul into ensuring Nyesom Wike emerged victorious even at the risk of my personal safety.
Again in 2019, I doubled down on my commitment. I invested a significant amount of money to procure campaign outfits for all twenty-three Local Governments Areas of Rivers State. I spared no expense in supplementing Wike’s election efforts in my own local government, and once again putting myself at great risk to safeguard the fairness and transparency of the electoral process.
However, despite my unwavering loyalty and sacrifices, I found myself abandoned and forgotten by Wike. Throughout his eight-year tenure, he failed to acknowledge my contributions or fulfill his promises and agreements. Even as a former Deputy Governor, Wike denied me my severance benefit.
My investment in Wike’s governorship was not just financial – it was a commitment of passion, dedication, and belief in a better future for Rivers State. Yet, his leadership style of dishonesty, greed, drunkenness and rash abuse of senior citizens brought me nothing but disappointment, misery and losses.
By the grace of God, today I speak not as a victim, but as a hero. I have accepted my losses, and I have moved on. And as I reflect on my experience, I cannot help but urge Wike to do the same and allow peace and development to reign in Rivers State.
Nyesom Wike, when you speak of investing in Governor Sim Fubara’s election, remember those like me who also invested in you. Remember the sacrifices I made, the risks I took, and the promises and agreements you left unfulfilled.
It is time for you, Wike, to let go of the past and allow Governor Sim Fubara the breathing space he needs to lead Rivers State forward. Allow him to focus on the challenges of good governance and the aspirations of the people. Spare him these unwarranted and ill-conceived political manoeuvrings founded on personal agenda and not for general good of Rivers State and her people.
I may have lost my investment on Wike, but I have not lost hope in the future of Rivers State. And together, we will continue to strive for a brighter tomorrow.
Long Live the Governor to Rivers State, Sir Siminialayi Fubara!
Long Live the Good People of Rivers State!!
Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
Engr Ikuru is former Deputy Governor of Rivers State.
Tele Ikuru
