The rise of illegal refineries in the Niger Delta raises concern
UPDATED: 2 HOURS AGO
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- Illegal refineries have become a major issue in the Niger Delta region
- Young men use the illegal trade to survive as Nigeria battles economic recession
- The trade is catching is gaining grounds in the oil rich region on a daily basis
Reuters was given exclusive access to several makeshift refineries in Ogoniland in the Niger Delta on condition that their exact location was not disclosed.
Illegal refineries in the Niger Delta are a common sight. Photo credit: Reuters
The refineries are filled with young men ready to abandon their bush refinery at a moment's notice as the Nigerian military clampdown on them.
Nerves are on edge now that the military has started sending boats, jeeps and helicopters to destroy hundreds of such facilities in the country's main oil region.
The Nigerian government wants to prevent theft from oil company pipelines and so has turned its attention to shutting down the illicit refineries.
But the military crackdown risks driving hundreds of young men from the refineries into the militant groups that have been attacking legitimate oil facilities in an attempt to force the government to allocate more money to the impoverished region.
The refiners pollute the area because of their millegal activities. Photo credit: Reuters
The government have spent the last eight months holding peace talks with the militants but community leaders say the talks will be useless unless the government legalizes the bush refineries, which support tens of thousands of people locally.
"The refinery is the only job I can find to feed my family, it's very likely that we'll end up as criminals if the army closes us down," a father of three in his early 20s standing next to a tank being filled with refined petrol said.
Saturday Nuate, head of the Kegbara Dere community in Ogoniland said: "My youths have found a way of surviving with crude (refining). It's very difficult to ask them to stop this. People are very hungry."
On her part, an environmental activist, Annkio Briggs said: "It's a time bomb. The government should legalize the modular refineries so young people can make a living."
"There would also be less pollution if the bush refiners bought oil legally instead of relying on crude stolen by breaking into pipelines."
The mini refineries have been tolerated by local politicians, oil workers and army officers, who all benefit from their activities.
Many young men in the region are involved in the illegal trade. Photo credit: Reuters
Those working at the makeshift refineries are often trained by friends working for oil firms, who also advise on how to build the equipment.
In addition, the refiners ease local fuel shortages, part of daily life due to Nigeria's inefficient state-owned refineries.
The military campaign has intensified in recent weeks, forcing refiners to work at night so the smoke from the crude oil they process is harder to detect as it rises over the mangrove swamps.
Refinery owners say they make 2 million naira a month from producing petrol and diesel - the latter sought by hotels and shops forced to rely on generators because of the epileptic power situation in Nigeria.
"We can process one thousand litres a night," said a refinery owner.
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