Kaduna Refinery Hasn’t Been Upgraded Since 1982
The Managing Director of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company, (KPRC) Engr. Adewale Ladenegan has lamented the condition of the Plant saying it has not been upgraded since it was established in 1982.
Ladenegan who made the observation while interacting with members of House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) who paid an oversight visit to the refinery said the last Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) on the facility was carried out in since 2008.
He however ruled out privatisation as one of the best options towards turning around the refinery saying what KRPC needs is adequate financing to upgrade its obsolete equipment to electronic operations and robust management that would see to its optimal operation
“Privatization, I will say no. Because all the ones that you have privatized, where are the dividends? Because if have the opportunity to ask questions, this is the questions ask. We that you are seeing here are patriotic Nigerians. If you give the refinery to those who has the money, they will still use the same people running it.
“The option that we will have prefer is that type of NLNG, let everybody contribute and there will be no single person controlling the refinery and we manage it. Then you will be getting your dividends as at when due. This will take care of your investment and your country people will be there running it, not that you will be bringing people from India to be replacing Nigerians. No.
“Because all the ones that you have privatized We Have not seen the dividends of NITEL, NEPA that you have privatized. Nigerians are still asking and instead, you are making the country to become more poorer and then jobless, “ the Ladenegan told the House Committee on Petroleum Resources.
He urged the law makers to provide adequate funds for a complete Turn Around Maintenance of (TAM) of the plant.
Ladenegan said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was currently negotiating with various financiers to estimate the much the plant needed for the TAM program and its duration.
He said upgrading the plant would improve its capacity to operate at 90 per cent and would stop the importation of refine products and improve in the local content refineries and of the petroleum industry.
Chairman of the Committee, Mr Joseph Akinlaja who said they were at the plant on oversight visit, promised to ensure adequate measures were taken to return the plant to its past glory.
Akinlaja said the National Assembly needed to know the current status and production capacity of the plant.
He said they also needed to know the labour force of the plant as well as how it was being maintained to enable them identify areas that needed intervention.
