Need to decriminalize artisanal refining
THE mind-float and laws that oversee our oil industry are unpatriotic, unempathetic and in many cases, clueless. That is why the ordinary Nigerian gains very little from being the citizen of one of the biggest oil-producing countries in the world. The enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA, merely created more regulatory bodies which former President Muhammadu Buhari put under the control of his cronies.
Rather than being more relevant to the indigenes of the oil-producing communities, some of the PIA’s provisions targeted them for infractions that might or might not be of the making of host communities. The enactment of the PIA in August 2021 did not accommodate artisanal or cottage refining as part of the petroleum industry ecosystem.
As a result, the ugly practice of illegal refining of petroleum products by oil bunkerers in the Niger Delta has continued, with attendant huge losses to the nation.https://live.primis-amp.tech/content/video/amp/videoIframe.php?s=114290#amp=1
On Monday, October 2, 2023, a massive blast took place at an illegal oil bunkering and refining site at Ibaa community in Emohua, Rivers State, claiming initial 18 lives and injuring about 25 others. More people have died since then.
Expectedly, such accidents result in huge oil spills which further degrade the environment and pollute the rivers and farmlands, making living in the zone more nightmarish than ever. The menace of illegal, unregulated artisanal refining has become a great risk to life, especially in Port Harcourt and its environs, which are frequently besieged by clouds of soot that envelop the atmosphere precipitate and endanger lives. The worst part of it is that rogue elements in the law enforcement agencies such as the Navy, Army, Police, Civil Defence and others who are supposed to fight the menace, turn around to commit the same crime.
They often engage in chasing after their rivals and destroying their plants by burning. The Navy and military task forces operating in the creeks also have the primitive and abominable practice of burning down such facilities and vessels caught in oil bunkering without the authorisation of the courts.
Most of the people usually caught by the law enforcement agencies are poor rural dwellers who say it is their only source of livelihood. Environmental pollution has almost killed agriculture and fishing in many Niger Delta communities. We call for the legalisation of artisanal refining, whereby the government can regulate and guide the operators.
It will not only clean up the activity, it will create new value chains and employment opportunities for the people of the Niger Delta. It will make their oil more relevant in their lives. They should be encouraged to form cooperatives and register for training.
Since artisanal gold mining has been approved for gold miners in the North, why shouldn’t oil-producing or host communities be allowed to engage legally in artisanal refining?
