How di revived Warri and Port Harcourt refineries go help Nigeria economy - Expert

Economists don hail di big effort wey Nigeria don make to fix two oil refineries for one year.

Prof Kabiru Isa Dandago, wey be economic expert for Bayero University for Kano, BUK, tok say di work wey dem do for Warri refinery go help Nigeria economy for plenty ways.

"Now wey Nigeria get two refineries wey don start work, e go help reduce di rise of dollar rate. Dis one mean say price of goods go reduce, and life go easy small for Nigerians."

E still add say di price of fuel, like petrol, diesel, and kerosene, fit reduce.

"Di refineries dey produce petrol, diesel, and kerosene for Nigeria now, di price fit fall, and e go make cost of goods reduce."

Prof Dandago add say if Nigeria use di refineries for di kontri well, e go make economy grow, and life go dey easier for pipo.

Di Nigeria state-owned refineries, Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company (WRPC), Delta state, for south south region of di kontri, begin work again afta e park up for years.

Di Group Chief Executive Officer of di Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, tok dis one as im tour di 125,000 barrels per day refinery on Monday.

Di Group CEO say even though di refinery don begin work, e never reach 100% and dem "still dey in di process."

E say, di Warri plant get three stages, and now na di first stage wey dem call Area 1 na im dem don begin.

Area 1 go fit produce AGO (diesel), Kerosene, heavy and light naphtha plus odas. E say dem go fit to export products from dis stage go oda kontris.

Meanwhile, Nigeria President Bola Tinubu describe di re-opening as "anoda remarkable achievement of 2024 wey make Nigerians hope in im goment stronger."

Di president also encourage di NNPCL Oga Kyari and im team make dem try sharply finish repair work for di Kaduna refinery and di second Port Harcourt refinery.

Unto di president order, Kyari say: "Kaduna also dey on stream. We no go give you date, but we go surprise you."

Tok tok pesin for NNPCL, Olufemi Soneye, bin first tell Nigerians before say, "Warri go don ready by Q1 (first quarter) of 2024." But, di completion of repair no happun until di last days of di Q4.

On 11 November 2024, NNPCL bin announce say di old Port Harcourt refinery don begin work. Dis na almost two months afta Dangote Refinery begin lift fuel for September.

But di 65,000 barrels per day refinery stop work just few weeks afta e begin work.

On 26 November, NNPCL say di refinery don dey work again and go operate at 60% capacity, processing 600,000 barrels of crude per day.

Dis bin come afta many years of promise wit different administrations wey bin plan to repair am but no success.

Commissioned in 1978, Nigeria goment bin build WRPC to supply markets for di south and southwest regions of Nigeria.

Di refinery wey dey under di control of NNPCL, bin experience plenty operational challenges like maintenance issues, lack of money plus management palava.

All of dis challenges make WRPC kuku pack up for 2019, and since den, e no work again till now, December 2024.

For August 2021, di kontri former President, Muhammadu Buhari, bin give contract for di complete rehabilitation di four state-owned refineries.

Buhari goment bin promise say di plant go start operations for December 2022.

Dem later shift di start date to di end of di first quarter of 2023, but nothing come out of am until now.

As e be, e never clear how di products from WRPC go fit reduce di pain wey Nigerians dey go through due to di high cost of petroleum products like fuel, kerosene and diesel.