The Mayor of Urhoboland who is the head of the Association of Urhobo Mayoral Family Crown, AUMFC, Eshanakpe Israel a.k.a Akpodoro, has congratulated the duo of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Chief Group Executive Officer, CGEO, of NNPC Engr Mele Kyari as the Port Harcourt refinery commences loading of petroleum products on Tuesday.
The congratulatory message from the Mayor was contained in a statement issued at the heels of the announcement of the truck out at the refinery complex in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital.
He described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a jinx breaker who has succeeded where many failed.
Akpodoro specifically noted that the latest development is a function of a vision-driven leadership, saying the current achievement came after seven consecutive failures of the refinery to roll out products as planned severally.
He said the immediate past administration failed to deliver after borrowing billions to fund the maintenance of the national asset
President Tinubu, according to Akpodoro, has demonstrated capacity and dexterity saying successive administrations had turned the repairs of the refinery to a cashcow, a development he said had stunted revitalisation of the refinery.
He noted that, those he described as cynical minds would give the NNPCL boss a break from incessant attacks on his person and office saying, hitherto, idle minds had found occupation in maligning and blackmailing Kyari using
the inactivities at the nation’s refineries as tool to drive home their mischief.
“Successive PDP governments failed to deliver this same project. It, at a time, became a conduit pipe for draining national wealth and plunge the nation into abject poverty.
“The Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration could not deliver this same project to Nigerians due to endemic corruption.
“Crude oil was sold in advance for loan to re-engineer the refinery to no avail. But, lucky Nigerians on February 25, 2023 took the giant step by voting massively for Tinubu as President. Today, the man we voted for against all odds has delivered a legacy project to Nigerians,” the Mayor stated.
He further stated that, with the commencement of operations in the 65,000 barrel/day refinery, Nigerians are hopeful that the energy crisis bedevilling the nation will abate while market forces would possibly jack down the pump price of petroleum products.
He said: “Engr. Mele Kyari has demonstrated resilience, solidarity, patriotism, and the needed understanding to lead such a sensitive corporation like the NNPCL in a nation with low trust level for their leaders.”
