A disagreement between ministers at the petroleum and trade ministries could potentially derail plans to build six new refineries in Nigeria. The development comes after the government went ahead with the signing of a memorandum of understanding with two construction companies, one Nigerian, Petroleum Refining and Strategic Reserve Limited, and one American, Vulcan Petroleum Resources Limited.
Despite the signing, Trade and Investment minister Olusegun Aganga (pictured) is now at odds with the Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation over what actually happened at the meeting and what was agreed upon.
The latter two are also accusing Aganga of not involving them from the beginning of the process. The NNPC, which was not represented at the signing of the memorandum in July, claimed afterward that it did not know about the project, despite a government official signing on its behalf. Jim Mansfield, head of Vulcan, and Edozie Njoku, chairman at the Petroluem Refining and Strategic reserve were both present to sign on behalf of their companies.
Two of the planned refineries planned to be up and running by this time next year, and the six, which would be able to refine a combined 180,000 barrels per day, would cost around $4.5bn to build.
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