$1.5bn Port Harcourt Refinery: Nigerians Should Hold Me Accountable

Nigerians should hold me accountable if every cent of the $1.5 billion proposed for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery is accounted for, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, said on Sunday.

He made the pledge during an interview aired on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics where he boldly looked at the camera and asked Nigerians to hold him responsible in the event of anything otherwise.

“I can look at the camera; they (Nigerians) can hold me accountable and hold this government accountable for every dollar, every cent on this project and ensure that we deliver a refinery that works,” the minister said.

The decision of the Federal Government to rehabilitate the refinery in Rivers State with the sum has triggered debates in the country.

While the government’s critics accused it of corruption, others were concerned that adding such an amount of money to the country’s debt burden would be dangerous.

Sylva, however, stated that there was no cause for alarm as the government does not intend to borrow all the funds to rehabilitate the refinery.

He noted that a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) – Nigerian Petroleum Development Company Ltd (NPDC) – and others would contribute the money to be used for the project.