Nigeria’s crude oil’ll be processed to meet domestic needs —KACHIKWU

BENIN—WITH the nation’s refineries, especially the Port Harcourt Refinery Company, PHRC, coming back on stream, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, yesterday in Benin, said the country’s  crude oil would  be processed to meet immediate domestic needs.

Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, who spoke at this year’s NNPC Health Safety and Environment, HSE, day, with the theme, HSE Best Practice, Pathway to Business Sustainability, also said NNPC would  modernize its health, safety and environment management standard and performance records to promote health, safety and environmental awareness.

Dr. Kachikwu, who was represented by the Managing Director, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC,  Abubakar Mai-Borno, said safety at workplace was vital for productivity in the sector.

“It is with great optimism that we are foreseeing our refineries soon coming back on-stream. PHRC, for instance, has demonstrated great drive in meeting the federal government’s desire for our refineries; whence our crude will be processed in order to meet our immediate domestic demands,” he said.

He insisted that lessons must be learnt from recent incidents on the BP Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and Chevron’s Brazil Offshore which occurred due to breach of safety rules and observance, noting that these incidents were accompanied with monumental financial and human losses.

“We must, therefore, tow a conscious path in structuring safety rules, guides, observance and best practices in NNPC. When these are emplaced, then, our assets, both human and material will be secured and guaranteed,” he said.

According to him, the outcome of these initiatives “would include higher productivity, reduce risks accidents and damages to the environment, while promoting sustainable development for future generation. This visible commitment is an important driver that ensures that every staff, including other stakeholders, own their HSE responsibility.”