Tinubu Reveals Local Refineries’ Production Plan to Reduce Fuel Price in Nigeria
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has revealed that some local refineries are ready to start producing petroleum products soon. This is expected to lower the high cost of fuel energy in the country.
The President had previously announced that the Port Harcourt refinery would resume operations by December 2023.
He reiterated this plan during the 11th Convocation ceremony of the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (MOUAU) last weekend.
He said, “Very soon, some of our local refineries will start production, and the current exorbitant prices of fuel energy will be greatly reduced.”
The President, who was represented by the Executive Secretary of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria, Professor Garba Sharubutu, admitted that the country was facing economic hardship but assured that it would soon be over.
He appealed for patience and continued support of Nigerians for his administration as efforts were made to address the challenges in the country. “Bear with us and remain resolutely in support of this administration as we would leave no stone unturned in reversing the severe hardships that our people are currently passing through,” he said.
He also stated that part of the supplementary budget that the Parliament had approved would be used to bring interventions at critical segments of the agricultural sector. He emphasized the importance of food security and the Sustainable Development Goals for the nation.
He urged the Universities of Agriculture in the country to innovatively drive the transformation of the agricultural sector. He promised that his administration would continue to provide the needed support to specialized universities and agric-related institutions to fulfil their mandate.
He also called for private organizations to collaborate with Universities of Agriculture, fostering partnerships and linkages to enhance agricultural research findings with a mutually beneficial goal.
The President acknowledged the security challenges in the country but expressed confidence that they would soon be resolved.
He said, “The burden of insecurity is clearly a major challenge in Nigeria, but I assure you that in no distant time, it will become history.”
He congratulated the graduands and encouraged them to “help fast-track the rapid development of our country.” He assured of his government’s continued support in providing and improving infrastructure in tertiary institutions.
According to the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe, a total of 8,369 graduates witnessed the conferral of degrees, with 121 achieving first-class honours and 1,941 attaining second-class upper division.
Within the cohort, 3,063 graduands earned Second Class Lower Division, 1,121 secured Third Class, and six obtained Passes. The statistics also showed that 6,917 Bachelor’s degrees, 159 Post Graduate Diplomas, 802 Master’s degrees, and 491 Doctorate degrees were awarded.
The Vice-Chancellor reaffirmed the university’s commitment to fulfilling its core mandate, highlighting the noteworthy contributions of its products and staff in research and job creation.
The Best Graduating student, Ikechukwu Nicholas Chukwuka (majoring in Computer Engineering), expressed gratitude to God for the grace to emerge as the best overall. Chukwuka, who achieved a remarkable