By Abdulkadir Mohammed.
Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Malam Mele Kolo Kyari says the repairs of the nation’s refineries would be completed and delivered to Nigerians before the end of the year 2021.Mele Kyari disclosed this while addressing the 17th annual conference of the Nigerian Guild of Editors holding in Abuja, Nigeria.He observed that to fix the country energy deficit there must be justice and the willingness of all for the benefit of the country.The GMD said the problem is compounded by the elites whom he accused of stealing the nation’s crude oil.The NNPC GMD who was the special guest of honour at the occasion noted that since 1999 all efforts to put the refineries back to operations have failed largely due to greedy officials adding that genuine efforts were also frustrated.
A veteran journalist and chairman of the occasion, Mr. Ray Ekpu enumerated possible solutions to the series of challenges facing the country adding that the anomaly involved in the problems must be addressed to achieve positive result.He asked, “why is Nigeria which is a producer of oil is also an importer of the same commodity?”
President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mustapha Isa had earlier lamented the level of crisis in the country which replete pages of newspapers with headlines bordering on insurgency, banditry, kidnappings and activities of known and unknown gunmen.He noted that the result of this has left the nation’s economy bleeding adding that the media could not afford stay aloof at this critical time without being part of the solution.
