By Mark Lenu
As the Port Harcourt refinery begins the refining of petroleum products, some commercial drivers in Rivers State have advised the federal government to fix the Eleme axis of the East-west Road to avert a series of accidents including the falling of trucks
The drivers who said this through the state President, Urban Drivers Welfare Association, Comrade Lekia Isaac also urged the federal government not to play politics with the PH refinery, adding that Nigerians want to see the availability of petroleum products and their prices drastically reduced.
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He said;”We are expecting the price of petroleum products to come down as a result of the government owned refinery that is now working so that it will positively reduce the price of goods and transport fare. But if the PH refinery didn’t help to reduce the price of petrol, thereby making us still buy fuel at the rate of N900 to N1000 per liter, then the value of the refinery is worthless.
“My advice to the federal government is that it should not play politics with the PH refinery. The refinery should be functional at full capacity.
“The federal government should also know that the government-owned refinery is the hope of Nigerians, not the Dangote refinery. So, the government should make sure that the PH refinery produces at full capacity. We want to reduce fuel prices and the availability of petroleum products.
“Another issue is the road network around the PH refinery. The Eleme axis of the East-west Road that leads to the refinery is nothing to write home about, causing a series of accidents and falling of trucks.
“Having gotten the refinery working, the government should also make sure that we have durable access roads to the refinery for the smooth transportation of the products and the timely arrival of the products at various destination points.”
The PH refinery started working this week after many years of attempting to revamp it with billions of naira spent on it but politics and corruption kept the refinery not working for several years.
