The House of Representatives on Wednesday ,mandated its commitee on Petroleum Resources ( Downstream) to organise an Investigative hearing to ascertain the true state of the Port Harcourt Refinery.
The House also charged the Committee to carry out comprehensive audit of funds spent on the Refinery and others in the country
The development followed a motion moved as matter of public importance by Rep, Onofiok Luke ( PDP Akwa Ibom).
The Lawmakers expressed concern that so much had been spent on Turn Around Maintenance of refineries with no significant changes in output.
In view of this, they asked the Federal Government to grant licences and incentives for construction of modular refineries
The Federal Government had last week approved$1.5 bilion for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery.
The Minister of Petroleum Resources Timipre Sylva who disclosed this to newsmen after the Federal Executive Council FEC meeting at the presidential villa in Abuja.
Sylva said the project which is to commence immediately will be carried out in phases.
The announcement of approval for another round of rehabilitation of the refinery generated reactions from several quaters particularly the business community and among the political class.
Some are of the view that the refinery should be privatized for maximum productivity.Others said there should be a private – public sector arrangement where the Federal Government retain significant shares just the way the NLNG currently operates.
But some Nigerians think privatisation of the refinery would lead to job losses,if on the contrary, it is not an exercise in futility.
