Activist lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, has called on President Bola Tinubu to instruct the Nigerian Army to bolster security around the country’s revamped oil refineries.
He also commended the President for overseeing the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.
In a letter addressed to the President on Monday, Adeyanju praised the rehabilitation efforts, noting that the operational refineries could help reduce the price of fuel in Nigeria. He pointed out that the refineries’ revival has been a welcome development for Nigerians who are burdened by the high cost of petroleum products.
Adeyanju highlighted the positive impact of the operational Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, suggesting they could drive competition and lead to more affordable petroleum products. However, he also urged the President to take further action to prevent illegal exploitation of Nigeria’s oil resources. Given the overstretched capacity of the Nigerian Navy, Adeyanju recommended increasing the Army’s presence to safeguard the refineries from theft and other security threats.
While acknowledging the progress made in rehabilitating the refineries, Adeyanju stressed the need for the President to take additional steps to improve the lives of Nigerians in alignment with his campaign promises.
Adeyanju said, “Recently, the media was awashed with news of the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries and the subsequent production of petroleum product from the Port Harcourt refinery.
“Following my personal confirmation of the veracity of the stories, I am compelled to publicly commend President Bola Tinubu for rehabilitating the refineries.
“At a time when Nigerians are groaning over the huge cost of petroleum products, especially PMS, it is a huge relief to observe that the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries have come back to life, with the possibility of driving competition that will ultimately bring down the prices of petroleum products across the country.
“Having taken steps to revamp the refineries, the President must go further by blocking all illegal exploitation of the nation’s oil resources by non-state actors. It is now obvious that the Nigerian Navy is overstretched and can no longer protect our oil facilities alone.
“In this light, I call on the President to direct the army to maintain increased presence across our oil facilities and protect them from oil theft.”
