The Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Kwara State chapter, Comrade Murtala Saheed Olayinka, has expressed concern over the deteriorating condition of refineries and fuel depots in the country.
He said the development has aggravated the hardships faced by Nigerians following the removal of fuel subsidy by the federal government.
He urged the federal government to revive the four refineries and 21 depots across the country to alleviate the challenges faced by the citizens.
Newspot reported that the Masimi depot in Ibadan, Oyo State, has been unable to supply fuel products to Oke-Oyi Depot, resulting in the abandonment and overgrowth of the facility.
Despite a few staff members, including the depot manager and security personnel, reporting for duty daily, the facility remains inactive.
Speaking during an on-the-spot assessment of the NNPC Oke-Oyi depot near Ilorin, Kwara state capital, on Thursday, after an interactive session with five affiliate union members of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Comrade Murtala lamented, stating that “the dire condition of our refineries and depots across the country is a cause for concern.”
“Kwara State, being one of the states fortunate to have a depot, is now defunct due to the inactivity of refineries. Consequently, the depot has been non-functional for years now.
“This is a distressing situation we find ourselves in, as thousands of workers are left disengaged and jobless, given that this was their source of livelihood and daily income,” he added.
Due to the depot’s inactivity, many individuals have lost their lives, as there are no job opportunities to support their families, he further added.
Comrade Murtala said, “It has become exceedingly challenging for the workers to provide for their families. As a matter of urgency, we must call on the federal government to come to our aid by revitalizing and repairing the damage done to the nation’s refineries and depots across the country.
“Our refineries must be operational. We believe that when they are functioning, rather than re-importation where our crude oil is exported and we import the refined products, it will have a positive impact on our economy.
“We strongly believe that with operational refineries, our depots will function optimally. When our depots function well, workers and stakeholders from within and other geopolitical zones will utilize the depot in Kwara state to load their fuel tankers,” the NLC chairman added.
In his address, the state chairman of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, Comrade Tajudeen Balogun, sought the support of the labour congress to rejuvenate the refineries and depots across the country, aiming to steer the country out of its current challenges.
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