Biafrans unmoved by Northerners’ plan to import crude petroleum from Muslim countries

Kaduna Refinery

From Adaku Igwe

From Biafra Choice Writers

It was made known to the world few hours ago that Fulani dominated Nigerian government was planning to commence importation of crude oil from Muslim states. Reports had it that Northern Nigeria dominated Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), among other things, had concluded plans to start importing crude petroleum from Islamic countries like Chad and Niger Republic, to feed its refinery in Kaduna. The move was response to shortage of crude from the Niger Delta region of Biafrand, due to activities of freedom fighters like Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).

In addition, an NNPC official said the authority was planning on refitting the Kaduna refinery to be able to process crude grades from Niger and Chad. They claimed the move was response to incessant attacks on the pipelines that feed the plant with Nigerian Bonny Light crude. According to an official, the move to refit the Kaduna refinery was because it was originally designed to process Nigerian crude and foreign heavy crude at the ratio of about 70 – 30.

“The original design capacity was 60,000 barrels per day of light crude. So in order to process paraffinic based crude oil from Venezuela, Kuwait or Saudi Arabia, the capacity was later increased to 110,000bpd.

“So apart from having the capacity to refine Bonny Light, the plant can also process heavy crude oil from Kuwait, Lagomar crude from Venezuela, Arabian Light from Saudi Arabia and Urals from Russia.

“But for it to refine crude from Chad or Niger, the plant requires some form of refitting so that it can use crude specification from those countries as well. The refitting does not involve complex technology” said the officials. Public Affairs Manager of Kaduna Refinery Petroleum Corporation (KRPC) Idris Abdullahi, confirmed the story.

Many Biafrans have however written off the move as making little meaning to their lives as they were focused on getting out of the contraption called Nigeria, which expired two years ago. There were some other Biafrans who saw the news as mere propaganda to discourage them from their activities to exit from Nigeria. Others said they no longer care about anything Nigeria does because they were not Nigerians, and yet others considered it as Northerners’ start of arrangements to exit the expired and unworkable Nigerian contraption.

Clifford Iroanya, a Biafran leader and spokesperson of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is among those who espoused the later. His words: “For anyone reading this nonsense about importing oil, you can see that they are only talking about Kaduna Refinery as if that is the only Refinery in the zoo (Nigeria). They even modified the Refinery to accept heavy crude from their Islamic country-brothers; meaning that they foresaw the zoo breaking into pieces and quickly used Biafran money, not only to build a Refinery in their caliphate, but to redesign it to accept sulphur/phosphorus--containing crude oil from their Islamic brothers in the Middle East.”

He was supported by others like Madubuike Ezema (not his real name), a leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), who lives near Chime Avenue in Enugu. He commended the North for having the courage, at this point in time, to do now what they should have done years ago. “They have really been living as parasites and bloodsuckers to other peoples in this evil Nigeria. They should have some shame and leave us alone. After all we have nothing in common with them” he said.

Continuing, he also said the North should have initiated such relationships with such countries long before now; rather than sticking around with the people of Biafra, who they have nothing in common with, and ranting one-Nigeria.