'Nigeria spent $25bn to rehabilitate refineries'
Abuja -- Nigeria spent more than 11.35 trillion naira ($25 billion) on fixing the country's three moribund refineries in the past 10 years, the outgoing parliament said in a report, calling for a forensic audit of the matter.
Despite the huge amounts spent to rehabilitate the refineries, they were producing at less than 30% capacity, the lower house of parliament said late on Tuesday. This has kept the country reliant on fuel imports, which it subsidies to keep prices low.
The report came as state oil firm NNPC Ltd hiked petrol prices to as high as 557 naira ($1.21) per litre, from 189 naira, days after new President Bola Tinubu said fuel subsidies would be scrapped.
Tinubu has inherited a myriad of problems, including low economic growth, high public debts, doubledigit inflation and militant activity.
Parliament will be dissolved in two weeks' time after which new lawmakers will be sworn in. Lawmakers plan to pass on their recommendation to new members and government.
NNPC has been working to revamp the refineries, which were shut down entirely in 2021 and produced little or no fuel over the past decade.
Parliament said the Warri and Port Harcourt refineries were under rehabilitation and recommended that the Kaduna refinery should also be subject to such treatment.
Two weeks ago, the privatelyowned 650,000 barrels a day Dangote Refinery was commissioned in Lagos amid hopes of transforming Nigeria into a net exporter of petroleum products, but analysts said securing crude supplies could affect it achieving full production this year.