Nigeria’ll continue to import petrol— Kachikwu

Femi Adi/Kaduna

The Minister also disclosed that Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Warri refineries will produce at full capacity in the first quarter of 2016.

According to him, Kaduna refinery is already producing about 1.5 million litres a day, while Port Harcourt will commence production of about two million litres per day by next week and Warri is expected to start early next year.

Addressing newsmen when he visited the Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical ‎Company on inspection of production capacity, Kachikwu maintained that Nigeria will still be importing fuel, even if the local refineries produced at hundred percent capacity.

“Best case situation is a twenty five to forty percent of local production and the rest being imported, worst case situation is what we have seen in the last few months of hundred percent importation,” he stated further.

Meanwhile, he has directed operators of the refineries to explore ways of generating profit.

“A typical refinery will look at the lubes, petrochemical area, power areas and see how they can probably expand the value chain and the potentials. That’s certainly what we are looking at,” Kachikwu added.

‎However, he disclosed that until Nigeria begin to get individuals who can invest in new refineries within the premises of existing refineries to expand the capacity, “We are looking for investors who have the capacity, the speed and the time to be able to accomplish on that. But until we do that, ‎we are going to be doing a mixture.”

He expressed confidence that the queues in the filling station will end in next two weeks, noting, “Some of these factors are not in anybody’s control, one of the thing I want people to understand is that NNPC is not setup to be a hundred percent importer for the country.

“We are a last intervention force, that is what we are and this business should be run by marketers who make money out of it‎, bringing their products, selling their stations. It is not the business of NNPC really to be providing them hundred percent capacity but because there was over one year delay in payment subsidy. ” He stressed.