Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, has indicated that the reconstruction of the Kaduna Refinery will be finished by the end of 2024.
He made the announcement during a tour of the refinery on Saturday, during which he restated the Federal Government’s resolve to ending petroleum product imports through the revival of the nation’s refineries.
The Kaduna Refinery, with a capacity of 110,000 barrels per day, is one of Nigeria’s four dysfunctional refineries, which have generated no fuel for many years, forcing the country to rely heavily on imported petroleum products.
However, in February 2023, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) inked an agreement for the restoration of the refinery with a Korean company, Daewoo Engineering and Construction Nigeria Limited.
The minister of state for petroleum resources paid a visit to the refinery on Saturday to inspect the status of the ongoing rehabilitation work under the quick-fix project.
The minister was joined by NNPCL Chief Executive Officer Mele Kyari and other ministry officials.
Mustapha Sugungun, Managing Director of Kaduna Refinery, showed the minister and his colleagues around the site.
According to government sources, the refinery’s last turn-around maintenance was performed roughly 15 years ago.
However, based on the progress achieved thus far by the contractor in charge of the restoration work, the petroleum minister is hopeful that the refinery will be operational by the end of 2024. The NNPCL president echoed this hope.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Is Anthony Odiong still a priest after life in prison sentence over rape?")
