Wike orders destruction of illegal refineries in Rivers state

Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike, has ordered the destruction of all illegal refineries in the state’s 23 local government area.

Wike gave the order on Wednesday during a meeting with the local governments’ chairmen, the state Commissioner of Police and the Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps at the Government House, Port Harcourt.

The governor tasked the state Commissioner of Police, Eboka Friday, with providing adequate security for the councils’ chairmen as they embark on the exercise.

He also said the state government would provide financial support to the councils’ chairmen for the destroying the illegal refineries.

“I will not relent in this fight. And all of you should hire bulldozers. All those areas where the illegal refinery sites are in the bush, in the creek, clear the place. Government will give you some money to go and hire bulldozers to go and clear the sites so that they will know we are serious”, he said.

“One thing I want to say and which is very clear, and like everybody knows, I am not against anybody making money. But, we cannot allow people to make money, while others are dying”.

Wike revealed that since the state government intensified the fight against illegal refinery operators, who are primarily responsible for the discharge of impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons into the atmosphere, the air quality in parts of the state has improved.

The governor said he was aware that, while carrying on with the war against illegal refinery activities, the cartel behind the illicit business would make effort to compromise unscrupulous security agents in the state.

He, however, warned that he would visit the Inspector General of Police, the Commandant General of the NSCDC and the Chief of Army Staff in Abuja, to report any of their personnel implicated in illegal crude oil bunkering and refinery activities in the state.

“You know in Nigeria, we don’t believe that anything can happen. We don’t take government serious, but in our own case, they have no choice, they’ll take us serious,” he added.