By Moses Uwagbale
Dr Titus Okunronmu, a former Director, Budgetary Department, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has urged Nigeria to solve the problems facing the nation’s refineries in order to address the problem of fuel importation.
Okunronmu made the call in Ota on Friday when he reacted to Wednesday’s increase in the pump price of petrol from N121.50 to N143.80 by the federal government.
The former CBN Director said that the inability of the four refineries to work effectively had been a major challenge facing the nation’s economy.
He noted that Nigeria would not overcome the problem of importing refined petroleum products into until the federal government resuscitate all the refineries.
“There is no member of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Country(OPEC) that is exporting crude oil and importing refined products in return.
“What is stopping the country from having refineries that are effectively working,” he said.
Okunronmu stressed the need for the government to repair the refineries in Warri, Kaduna and Port-Harcourt, to generate employment opportunities for youths in the country.
He added that the country could generate more revenue by exporting its refined products to West African countries.
Okunronmu said that if the refineries were working, they would provide by-products like gear oil and engine oil for the oil industry.
The former Director said that the implication of the increase in pump price was that Nigerians would spent more to buy petrol, while more funds would be generated by the federal government.
