FG denies plan to build refineries in Indonesia

The Federal Government on Thursday denied reports that Nigeria had plans to build three refineries in Indonesia at the cost of $2.68bn (428.8bn).On Wednesday, a respected Indonesian newspaper, Jakarta Post, had quoted the director of the Indonesian Ministry of Industry, Panggah Susanto, as saying that both countries had reached an agreement for the state oil firm, PT Pertamina, to buy crude oil from Nigeria and process it at the planned refineries. The paper quoted Susanto as saying, “They (Nigeria) wanted the refineries to be built in Nigeria. However, as Indonesia is currently improving its downstream industry, Indonesia wanted the refineries to be built here instead.” Susanto had told the Indonesian newspaper that Nigeria eventually agreed to build the refineries in the Asian country.
However, government denied the plan via a statement issued by the spokesperson of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Dr. Livi Ajunoma, in the name of the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Dr. Diezani Alison-Madueke.
“The Federal Government does not have any hand in this fictitious project. We want to totally and unequivocally disassociate the Government from this and we don’t know where this report emanated from. The Federal Government is focused on its transformation agenda and committed to delivering on the three Greenfield Refineries on schedule,” Ajuonuma said.
Before the denial, the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress and other Nigerians had denounced the alleged plan and urged the National Assembly to investigate the investments. Experts say a plan by the government to build refineries in other countries will face heavy opposition at home because of the country’s high unemployment rate and the poor state of her four refineries. The state of the refineries created a situation where government and independent marketers have had to import refined fuel to meet local demands.
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