Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has advised the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to use the $1.5bn earmarked for rehabilitating the Port Harcourt refinery to build hospitals for Nigerians.
TrackNews Online reports that the Federal Executive Council had announced the approval of the sum of $1.5 billion for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, said the rehabilitation of the refinery will commence in three phases, adding that the first phase is to be completed in 18 months, which will take the refinery to a production of 90 percent of its nameplate capacity.
Sylva noted that the second phase is to be completed in 24 months and all the final stage will be completed in 44 months and consultations are approved.
On Tuesday, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) signed the engineering procurement and construction (EPC) contract with the Italian firm.
In a post on his Twitter page on Thursday, Atiku described the facility as a loss-making refinery.
“Rather than spend $1.5 billion on a loss-making refinery, would it not make better economic sense, as well ensure social justice, to use that money to build mass hospitals for our people,” Atiku said.
“And provide our doctors with better working conditions, so every Nigerian has access to quality healthcare?”
