The Niger Delta Youth Council (NDYC) has boldly stepped into the spotlight, urging President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to ensure the Warri Refining & Petrochemicals Company runs at full capacity. While commending the administration for reviving the refinery, the group was quick to remind everyone that talk is cheap without action.
According to NDYC President Bene Youkore Mamamu, who issued a statement in Warri, the group’s message is simple, make it work or lose credibility. “It will be a great boost for the nation’s economy and the Niger Delta region if the 60,000 barrels-per-day old Port Harcourt Refinery and the 125,000 barrels-per-day Warri Refinery could produce consistently to meet the country’s energy demand and eventually push down the price of petroleum products,” the statement read.
While this praise seems encouraging, the sarcasm in their demand is hard to miss. They emphasized that full-capacity operations are not just optional but mandatory, noting, “If the four refineries in the country are restored to full operational capacity, the issue of economic hardship would be addressed to an appreciable extent.”
The NDYC also demanded job opportunities for the Niger Delta youths, highlighting the refinery’s potential to create employment. “And we demand job opportunities for Niger Delta youths in the refineries,” they stated, clearly tired of empty promises and token gestures.
Meanwhile, Chief Morrison Olori, a prominent All Progressives Congress leader in Delta State, couldn’t resist jumping on the bandwagon. Speaking from his Ughelli residence, he showered praises on Tinubu, saying, “With the resuscitation of the Warri Refinery, the President has yet again proved critics wrong by demonstrating that he can make Nigeria work again.”
Olori was equally optimistic about the economic impact on Delta State, claiming, “With the Warri Refinery coming back to operation, the socioeconomic life of the people in Uvwie, Warri, and other parts of Delta State will significantly improve.”
But the NDYC isn’t letting anyone get too much praise. They’ve also called attention to other pressing issues, including environmental degradation and unemployment, reminding everyone that a functioning refinery is just one piece of a much larger puzzle.
