The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has urged the newly-appointed Minister of State for Petroleum to advocate for the integration of operators of illegal refineries in the creeks into the national grid. Mr Chinedu Anyaso, the Chairman of IPMAN’s Enugu Depot Community, responsible for Anambra, Ebonyi, and Enugu States, made this statement in a recent interview in Awka while extending congratulations to the newly sworn-in ministers.
Following the recent appointment of Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri as the Honorable Minister of State (Oil), Petroleum Resources, and Hon. Ekperipe Ekpo as the Honorable Minister of State (Gas), Petroleum Resources, Anyaso emphasized the need for the new Minister of State for Petroleum, who hails from the Niger Delta, to engage the government in facilitating the integration of operators of illegal refineries into the national grid.
“Instead of pursuing and dismantling their infrastructure, the government should embrace these operators as part of the solution, at least in the short term, while awaiting the resumption of operations in the main refineries,” Anyaso stated as quoted by NAN.
He further added, “This approach will help alleviate foreign exchange pressures.”
