The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mallam Mele Kyari, yesterday poured cold water on calls for the legalisation of artisanal illegal refineries in the Niger Delta. Kyari, who spoke on the state-run Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) described the so-called illegal refining facilities as mere cooking pots, insisting that growing demand for their official recognition were unfounded and unscientific. For years, there have been persistent calls on the government to recognise small artisanal refiners in the Niger Delta to boost In-country fuel supply, rather than criminalising them. But Kyari stated that the legalisation will not work, noting instead that modular refineries should be encouraged instead of illegal bunkering and refining. “That’s why there are licences given out for modular refineries and they can produce up to 1,000 barrels to 20,000 barrels per day. Refining is a science of its own. The cooking pots […]