what stops the private sector from building refineries? I know of one individual in America that owns more than 4 refineries, what stops Nigerians from doing the same. Could it be the government ?

Instead of closing and distroying these Refineries, why not encourage them and turn them into uselful channel for Nigerian oil sector. Exposing them to more ideas on how to make it work effective with less environmental pollution. No be today, we have known government for being enemy of progress of the masses.
Soon some folks will come here and start telling us how someone built sun energy in Zimbabwe, as such we Nigerians can do nothing but complain.

okunoba:

what stops the private sector from building refineries? I know of one individual in America that owns more than 4 refineries, what stops Nigerians from doing the same. Could it be the government ?

It is govt, a blind one at that!
The FG has a stranglehold on the land, property and oil resources. . . every miniscle thing to do with the oil business (thats why ND can't clean up pollution - land belongs to FG). The FG has repeatedly proven itself a poor manager, yet it will not allow individuals into areas were we need technological advancement.

What we are witnessing, is an attempt to shut down innovation. It is talent that has been suppressed and oppressed and has now found outlet in illegality. But rather than build a framework to harness their inventiveness, we are destroying their handywork and making them out as criminals first (and nothing else next).

Those Refineries are legal and will keep operating.
The Government of Nigeria Dirty Stinking Hausa/Fulani North and Corrupt Yoruba has no right to disturb us in our Land, only our people has the right to say if they are Illegal/Legal.
The Crude oil comes from our Land, it's ours.
Are N-Delta people Controlling how they sell their termite infected Cocoa, tell me if Ogoni people can control how Yoruba people should fix prize or sell their land in Lagos.
Or are we Controlling how Dirty Stinking Hausa/Fulani sell their Mad Cow disease infected Cows.
Those refineries will keep refining oil to meet our local needs, any intruder will be crush with Force.

Beaf:

Forget about "bunkering criminals and expoiters of the youths". That will lead to a whole new argument, lets deal with the boys who build these things.

How can you forget about the bunkering criminals and exploiters of youths when the topic at hand is about illegal refineries? Helping the marginalized youths of the area and in fact the whole country is a different issue entirely.

Why is it difficult for you people to accept that these "refinery operators" are criminals? Would it be because they are from your tribe or region?

Nna,  ndu_chucks

KEEP QUIET !!!

If there was no scarcity of basic needs and infrastructure and neglect would they engage in unprofitable business ?

Ask ya self was this the case 2 decades ago ?

Human endevours are often fuelled by their needs or fight for survival

ONCE AGAIN   !!! KEEP QUIET !! maka keep quiet !

ndu_chucks:

How can you forget about the bunkering criminals and exploiters of youths when the topic at hand is about illegal refineries? Helping the marginalized youths of the area and in fact the whole country is a different issue entirely.

Why is it difficult for you people to accept that these "refinery operators" are criminals? Would it be because they are from your tribe or region?

I would rather ask you if you find it difficult to accept that there is talent here because they are not from your "tribe or region". . . Low blow.
This is the difference in approach to "illegal" talent from a developed [/b]country;

Buffeted by millions of digital scans and attacks each day, federal authorities are looking for hackers — [b]not to prosecute them, but to pay them to secure the nation's networks.

General Dynamics Information Technology put out an ad last month on behalf of the Homeland Security Department seeking someone who could "think like the bad guy." Applicants, it said, must understand hackers' tools and tactics and be able to analyze Internet traffic and identify vulnerabilities in the federal systems.

And in the Pentagon's budget request submitted last week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates hung out his own help-wanted sign, saying the Pentagon will increase the number of cyber experts it can train each year from 80 to 250 by 2011.

Amid dire warnings that the U.S. is ill-prepared for a cyber attack, the White House conducted a 60-day study of how the government can better manage and use technology to protect everything from the nation's electrical grid and stock markets to tax data, airline flight systems, and nuclear launch codes.

President Barack Obama appointed former Bush administration aide Melissa Hathaway to head the effort, and her report was delivered Friday, the White House said.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/archive/US-Is-Hiring-Hackers-For-Protection.html

Beaf:

I would rather ask you if you find it difficult to accept that there is talent here because they are not from your "tribe or region". . . Low blow.

dis one na cop out.      

Guardian:

Nna,  ndu_chucks

KEEP QUIET !!!

If there was no scarcity of basic needs and infrastructure and neglect would they engage in unprofitable business ?

Ask ya self was this the case 2 decades ago ?

Human endevours are often fuelled by their needs or fight for survival

ONCE AGAIN   !!! KEEP QUIET !! maka keep quiet !

na from where dis one crawl out?  oh boy, your logic go set soldier wey r.a.pe ya sister and other people mothers, free.  de soldier go free because 2 decades ago, war no dey. never mind say laws wey govern wars exist.

Beaf:

The refineries are 100% locally made. They differ widely in complexity, some are incredidibly crude and add to the damage to the environment; others are highly sophisticated (some manned by unemployed chemical engineers and other professionals) and need to be regulated by govt, instead of being destroyed.

These boys have shown that refining fuel isn't rocket science and we can seize a great percentage of our oil industry. But, as usual, the FG will never believe Nigerians are capable until the day they start seeing illegal oil wells .

We need true federalism, so that the ND can control its destiny and harness Nigerian talent.

You don't know how happy this makes me?Waohhh ! We are getting there.

ndu_chucks:

How can you forget about the bunkering criminals and exploiters of youths when the topic at hand is about illegal refineries? Helping the marginalized youths of the area and in fact the whole country is a different issue entirely.

Why is it difficult for you people to accept that these "refinery operators" are criminals? Would it be because they are from your tribe or region?

You have just proven that you know nothing about technological empowerment. Nobody will legally transfer to you a technology that he uses to hold you magha. If you must stop beign a magha then you gotta steal the technology and some of his customers ^{learn from Japan and China}

VALIDATOR:

You have just proven that you know nothing about technological empowerment. Nobody will legally transfer to you a technology that he uses to hold you magha. If you must stop beign a magha then you gotta steal the technology and some of his customers ^{learn from Japan and China}

if no fit differentiate between technological empowerment and criminal activity, then i suspect say you be intellectual midget. olodo

With due respect to d opinion of d protesters, just like the saying goes, "U can never prepare an omelette without braking an egg," We cant combat enviromental degradation and other threats diz illegal refineries poze without having casualties, i think its stil a step in d right direction. Look at Abuja now, most of us protested while el-rufai was demolishing ilegal structures but now its a stunning sight to behold. We know 2 wrongs cant make a right but i stil believ Jtf can diplomaticaly re-oriant8 thiz refinery operators, show them the aproved modus operandi, ensure strict adherence n compliance and posibly re-open them having diz checks and balances in place, Jtf wont be guilty of de-industralization hence satisfying various agrieved parties as any move dat wil create job loss in the long run may not egor well. I rest my case.

@ndu_chucks, lets not play the ethnic game here, it doesn`t make sense 4 the country to have such proven talents who can refine crude oil and yet We have been importing refined oil 4 decades, does that make sense to u? If my memory serves me right, isn`t it true that during the Biafran war the eastern region built a working refinery, over 40yrs ago. I just wondered y the government never got the engineers `s to replicate the same thing 4 a united Nigeria, this would have saved the country so much money.

We have to remember a criminal today can be a hero tomorrow, Mandela, Dr King and many others were once considered as such. If the government can`t provide a needed product/service y is`t wrong 4 individuals/private sector to fill the gap?

ndu_chucks:

if no fit differentiate between technological empowerment and criminal activity, then i suspect say you be intellectual midget. olodo

Is Saul also among the prophets? You are worse than intellectual midget since both you and JTF could not differentiate between the apparatus for distillation of Ogogoro or Akamere or Ekpeteshi or Sapele water and that used to refining crude oil. If there were illegal refineries in the creeks of southern Nigeria, why did JTF fail to show the pictures of such structures while going public?

@chucks ndudi,
I am not promoting criminal activities but you can't have technology unless you do something similar to what those guys are doing.An undeveloped people MUST steal technology and use it illegally before it is standardized. Destryoying those refineries was stupid.

The government has no programme in place to encourage small refineries like theirs. You gotta pay thru your nose to obtain licence in addition to "settling" many lords at the nnpc.

that means they knew all along the refineries have been there n operating 'illegally'.closing them no be the issue,can the government refineries which i learnt are not working provide enough fuel for nigerians?

Dede1:

Is Saul also among the prophets? You are worse than intellectual midget since both you and JTF could not differentiate between the apparatus for distillation of Ogogoro or Akamere or Ekpeteshi or Sapele water and that used to refining crude oil. If there were illegal refineries in the creeks of southern Nigeria, why did JTF fail to show the pictures of such structures while going public?

Well said brother.

If there are illegal refineries, then let's call Soludo to do consolidation for them and legalise them. At least we will stop having fuel scarcity.

Abi my people what do you think?

Dede1:

Is Saul also among the prophets? You are worse than intellectual midget since both you and JTF could not differentiate between the apparatus for distillation of Ogogoro or Akamere or Ekpeteshi or Sapele water and that used to refining crude oil. If there were illegal refineries in the creeks of southern Nigeria, why did JTF fail to show the pictures of such structures while going public?

I have seen many of these illegal operations, they are no ogogoro distillation facilities. I ask again, why is it difficult for you all to just call  a spade a spade?  These "refineries" are illegal, fullstop.  JTF fail to show the pictures of such structures while going public?  Funny question designed to cause mischief.

@okunoba and some others: Many of you are talking about various legitimate issues which are separate and apart from the issue of criminals, at hand.

Fellow nairalander, u can see how corrupt and insincere our leaders are. Nigeria cannot own well functioned refineries all dis while but 600 illegal refineries can operate vry well. may be we should start using d so called illegal refineries and stop importation of the products since we cannot ve legal refineries.

walex0709:

Fellow nairalander, u can see how corrupt and insincere our leaders are. Nigeria cannot own well functioned refineries all dis while but 600 illegal refineries can operate vry well. may be we should start using d so called illegal refineries and stop importation of the products since we cannot ve legal refineries.

Those are not refineries, but poison and carcinogenic chemical producing illegal operations.

ndu_chucks:

Those are not refineries, but poison and carcinogenic chemical producing illegal operations.

Answer? Regulate them and give those heroes who have cracked the refining cycle incentive to build bigger and better plants. Better still, let FG hands off oil, they have only proven to be a conduit for big time bunkerers (those boys are very small fish).

    “Look here, we have arrested some of these vessels in the past, only to be told to release them immediately by some big shots in the military. In fact now, they do not even wait for us to arrest any vessel. We are warned in advance to expect these vessels and not to interfere with them.

    “Some of those we had accosted in the past had mentioned names of notable retired military Generals who you least expect to be involved in all of this and when we called to verify, it turned out to be true.”

http://www.africanloft.com/retired-military-generals-engage-nigeria-in-oil-bunkering-war/

Better still, lets practice true federalism and the FG wouldn't need to bother about "illegal refineries" (any federating component would know how to encourage those boys for development).

is this really true, but how can someone destroy what he CANNOT build.,absolutely insane.!

Even Federal Government cannot run their 'legal' refinery why should they bother to close the ones that other people are running even if it is illegal. And all the money they make selling crude oil does not have effect on our lives.

Beaf:

Answer? Regulate them and give those heroes who have cracked the refining cycle incentive to build bigger and better plants. Better still, let FG hands off oil, they have only proven to be a conduit for big time bunkerers (those boys are very small fish).

Your answer above is for a separate question - by the way, the answer may be worth exploring.  

The issue at hand however, is whether or not the refineries are illegal and whether their operators (not explored youths hired for peanuts)  are criminals. Then answer to that is an emphatic Yes!

ndu_chucks:

Your answer above is for a separate question - by the way, the answer may be worth exploring.  

The issue at hand however, is whether or not the refineries are illegal and whether their operators (not explored youths hired for peanuts)  are criminals. Then answer to that is an emphatic Yes!

There will not be a need for all these arguments if we were practicing true federalism.

Pharoh:

There will not be a need for all these arguments if we were practicing true federalism.

Its hard to completely disagree with your statement. We are in the process of defining the kind of federalism that will be most suitable for our unique country.

imagine oh when govt cant even build refineries we av many of them in niger delta make govt own them and use it abi

ndu_chucks:

I have seen many of these illegal operations, they are no ogogoro distillation facilities. I ask again, why is it difficult for you all to just call  a spade a spade?  These "refineries" are illegal, fullstop.  JTF fail to show the pictures of such structures while going public?  Funny question designed to cause mischief.

Can you explain how the questioned I posed in previous post is a manifestation of mischief? It is on record within this forum that JTF has shown us pictures of ammunitions and guns as well as captured militants dead or alive. What the hell is  stopping JTF from showing us the pictures of so-called illegal crude oil refineries that litter the creeks of southern Nigeria?

Better!

Dede1:


Can you explain how the questioned I posed in previous post is a manifestation of mischief? It is on record within this forum that JTF has shown us pictures of ammunitions and guns as well as captured militants dead or alive. What the hell is  stopping JTF from showing us the pictures of so-called illegal crude oil refineries that litter the creeks of southern Nigeria?

The answer is simple. Peppersoup_General Sarkin 'Big Belle' dey talk lie.

@dede and sapeleguy, ngwanu if you don't like the word mischief, let me reprase the statement:

Funny question designed to cause mischief distraction and dodge the issue at hand. Are the operators of the illegal "bootleg refineries" by definition not criminals? Why is this difficult for you all to admit?