Delta State governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, has lamented the cost of living, importation of fuel and the failed refineries in Nigeria.
The governor urged the federal government and relevant stakeholders to work towards revitalising the nation's refineries, insisting that Nigeria has no reason to import petrol with its cost implications on the economy.
Receiving the National Executive Committee of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) led by its National President, Williams Akporeha, on Tuesday at the Government House, Asaba, Oborevwori noted that a lot of things had been happening in the country.
He said, "For years, our refineries have been down and nobody talks about how we can put our refineries to use; instead, we are importing petroleum products.
“This is also biting on the economy of this country. Look at the prices of things which have gone up because we are not producing. If we were producing, we wouldn't have these challenges.
"The products we use today are being imported and we have refineries that are not working. There was no justification for an oil-producing nation with four refineries to resort to fuel importation for its local consumption.
“NUPENG is a critical stakeholder in the Nigerian project and I must thank the President and the union for the support given to me during and after the general elections. I’m happy that NUPENG have been in this struggle for years and I congratulate you on the struggle for a more efficient and people-oriented oil and gas sector, and I celebrate you because you are a critical stakeholder in the Nigeria project.”
He said, "Yesterday, my Deputy Governor went on inspection with the Honourable Minister of Works to inspect the Benin/Warri road and the Amukpe/Agbor road. Today, the Minister of Works is also going through the Ughelli/Patani/Bayelsa road to ascertain the level of damage on those roads.
‘Without good roads, we can't have access. As a state, we have embarked on the dualisation of the Ughelli-Asaba road, we have done about 70 percent. If we didn't embark on that road, we would not have had access to the capital city today. I am very sure that by this time next year, we will be completing the dualisation.”
Earlier, Akporeha said they were in Asaba to congratulate the governor on his assumption of office and for his achievements within his first 100 days in office.
He urged the governor to create an enabling environment for more investors to invest in the state.
The NUPENG boss appealed for the state government's assistance in rehabilitating the deplorable federal roads leading to fuel depots in the state, saying NUPENG had concluded plans to build a skill acquisition centre in Warri to train youths in the state.