FG’s approval of $1.5bn for rehabilitation of Port Harcourt Refinery is nothing to jubulate about yet – Wike

Governor Nyesom Wike has said he will not rejoice over the approval of $1.5 billion for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery.

Governor Wike was reacting to earlier announcement on Wednesday by the Federal Executive Council, FEC, approving the plan by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources to rehabilitate the Port Harcourt Refinery with $1.5bn.

Reacting to the development, the Governor said the news was nothing to make anyone jubilate.

The Rivers State governor who was a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today said it is not the first time the Federal Government is making promises, many of which he says are yet to be fulfilled.

“We have had a lot of promises, we have had a lot of talks and nothing has materialized,” Wike stated.

According to him, promises of this nature are only pointers to the fact that elections are around the corner.

“We have heard these promises and nothing has happened,” Wike stated.

He further opined that “If the refinery is going to work, it will improve a lot of economic activities, there will be employment for the people of the state.

We will be happy but I am saying that we have had these promises and promises and nothing has happened.

So, I don’t want to begin to say hallelujah. Let us wait and see what will happen based on the approval and the statement made by the minister of state, petroleum. We will hold him accountable for it.

“We know, even before the (APC) government came into being, they have promised a lot of things and later they come up to say because of these challenges and that, they are not able to fulfill them.

“We are going into 2023, so many promises will be made, so many approvals will be made.”

The governor said rather than jump in excitement regarding the approval by the FEC, Nigerians must wait and see how the government acts on the rehabilitation exercise as promised.