Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited, PHRC, has said it would soon commence the rehabilitation of its pipelines in line with the ongoing process of repositioning the refinery to produce optimally. The Executive Director, Operations, Engr. Sheik Mohammed, said this while handing over a seven blocks market built for Ekerekana Community by PHRC, at Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State. Mohammed, who represented the Managing Director of PHRC, Engr. Ahmed Dikkio, said the pipeline rehabilitation would contribute to making the facility function to meet the nation’s petroleum need. He said that PHRC built the seven blocks market holding 140 stalls for Ekerekana community to relocate them from trading along the pipeline, adding that it is for the safety of the people. He said “this project is a key project to us, we have pipelines running from the jetty, very close to the right of way, as a company we have safety in mind. Safety to the environment and safety to the assets.
One life is not equal to the whole of the refinery, so we have to do everything possible to build this market for the people and safe guard the People’s life, their health, the children and the women.” Mohammed said that the contractor for the rehabilitation of the pipeline has taken survey and has commenced preparation of documents, adding that the process has positive benefits to the host communities. “On the rehabilitation of pipeline, already the contractor has taken survey, as you know, the pipeline is on the right of River ways , you need study the river, do inspection in order to prepare the engineering documents to be able to work, already, there is preliminary work going on and we’re on the verge of awarding the contract to the contractor so that he will come in. “The refinery has a multiplier effect, right now we sell all our crude oil, we don’t have much value to it because all our nations refineries are not working because of one reason or the other and that is why the company, chiefs, community are doing everything possible to ensure that our refinery works. It has a multiplier effect, first as a country, we are going to achieve energy security for the nation in that we are going to refine our petroleum products and transport and this is where the community comes in because we believe that as we are transporting the petroleum products, we believe that this community will give protection to the pipelines in line with the PIA.
“Secondly, there will be alot of value addition, there will be alot of work for the community, Nigerians, big public image for the company and even the media will benefit.” However, the Chairman of Joint Community Relations Committee, JCRC, Chief Tamunokonba Akaluogbo, who spoke for the community in his welcome address, said the people would put the facility in good use immediately. He said “we commended the refinery for this project. We have been looking for what to do but now that the market is delivered we will make our people to use it. It belongs to the people. I as the Chairman will meeting with the local government chairman to make sure that our people put it in use immediately.”
