By Milcah Tanimu

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva Lokpobiri, made a surprising revelation during a TV program on Wednesday, discussing President Bola Tinubu’s first year in office. Lokpobiri disclosed that the Kaduna Refinery is unable to refine Nigeria’s crude oil due to its specific configuration.

“What I said was that Nigeria had always imported crude based on the peculiarities of the refineries,” Lokpobiri explained. “For instance, the Kaduna Refinery was designed to process heavy crude oil, which is why we were importing crude from Venezuela. Nigeria’s crude is one of the lightest and sweetest in the world, and some refineries are not calibrated for that.”

He emphasized that this situation is not new, as the Kaduna Refinery has historically relied on heavy crude imports to function properly. “The Kaduna Refinery was meant to refine very thick crude oil, which is why imports from Venezuela were necessary. This is not happening for the first time,” Lokpobiri stated.

This revelation sheds light on the complexities and challenges within Nigeria’s refining sector, highlighting the need for appropriate infrastructure and calibration to utilize the country’s own crude oil resources effectively.