Asaba – Mr Peter Biakpara, a former commissioner in Delta, has debunked claims of existence of illegal refineries in the Niger Delta region, saying that what existed was display of "local expertise".
Biakpara urged the government to encourage the local refineries, noting that unless they were supported and regulated, illegal crude oil bunkering would continue to thrive in the area.
"Rather than destroy the refineries, the government should get the operators together, examine how they carry out their activities and see how it can improve on it and make it better.
"After all, today's giant oil refining companies may have started in crude ways like what we now tag illegal refineries", he said in Asaba.
Biakpara, who was a member of former Gov. James Ibori's cabinet, said that those who died due to lead poisoning in the Northern part of the country "died just because they were not told how to safely get what was around them".
"What the government should do is to teach these people how to do these things more safely because there are no illegal miners.
"Talking specifically about illegal refineries and illegal bunkering, people wake up every morning and they see oil around them and they want to survive. It is natural that they would want to use the oil they see, for their survival'', he said.
He advised the government to apply the principle of allowing those whose lands produce oil to benefit from it by being the operators while it played the role of regulator.
According to Biakpara, since illegality has been attached to the people's activities in the coastlines, because of the way they access the crude oil, oil theft can only stop when government sells crude directly to the people.
He remarked that now was the auspicious time to encourage small scale refineries that would strengthen local expertise and create jobs and wealth since the country was tinkering with diversification of its economy.
"I spoke about the reliance on local expertise in anything we are doing and particularly we are talking about generating income with or without the oil.
"Without the oil we are talking about artisanal mining and they spoke about illegal miners, for me there are no illegal miners.
"There are miners, that are people who grow up with the mineral we are talking about and you would agree with me that a man wakes up and want to survive with what is around him.”
Biakpara advised against further destruction of the refineries, cautioning that "as long as the government continues to fight and destroy the activities of the small oil refineries in the creeks, more will be springing up.”
"I have used their products to power my boat and many people patronize them on daily basis, and there has been no damage to engines." (NAN
