The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the status of the $35 million modular petroleum refinery project located in Brass, Bayelsa State, following concerns that the multi-million-dollar investment has yet to yield tangible results four years after it was initiated.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Billy Osawaru (Edo, Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode Federal Constituency) during plenary on Wednesday.
The motion, titled “Need to Investigate the Abandoned $35m Modular Refinery Project in Brass, Bayelsa State, Four Years After Huge Financial Commitment,”sought to draw attention to the apparent abandonment of the project despite substantial funding by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
The 2,000-barrel-per-day modular refinery, handled by Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited in partnership with the NCDMB, was designed to boost crude oil production, strengthen local refining capacity, promote indigenous participation, and create jobs in the petroleum sector.
Construction was expected to commence in 2021, but reports indicate that the project has since become the subject of an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigation over alleged fraudulent practices.
According to Osawaru, the NCDMB invested $35 million (over ₦50 billion) in the project in 2020. However, “despite this huge investment, which is enough to fund key components of the national budget, there is nothing on ground to show that any meaningful work has been done”
“The proposed modular refinery, to be known as Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited, was never set up. Nothing is on the ground to show that huge financial commitments had been made,” he lamented.
The lawmaker recalled that the House had previously taken steps to uncover the circumstances surrounding the stalled project by mandating the relevant committee to investigate what he described as a case of monumental economic sabotage, but noted that “nothing has been heard since.”
He also revealed that in May 2024, a stakeholder had petitioned the EFCC to probe the multi-million-dollar investments made by the NCDMB, including the Atlantic Refinery project, yet
no updates have been made public.
“We are worried that the continued inactivity of this Brass modular refinery project raises significant questions about the management of public funds and the effectiveness of oversight mechanisms in Nigeria,” Osawaru added.
Following deliberation, the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, who presided over the plenary, put the motion to a voice vote, and it was unanimously adopted by the lawmakers.
Consequently, the House referred the motion to its Committees on Petroleum Resources (Downstream and Midstream)for further legislative action, with a four-week deadline to submit their findings.
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