The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Emmanuel Kachikwu has confirmed reports that works on the pipeline feeding the key Forcados export terminal will last until June. “The line won't be ready until June,” he said.

Kachikwu has also announced that the country is hoping to enter into an agreement with international partners by July to renovation Nigeria’s three outdated refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation this week launched a tender to attract investors for the refineries, as it is also furthering talks with Chevron, Total and Eni.

“We expect that to last for about 12 months. And we expect that by 2017 we should have all the refineries back where ... (they) ought to be,” Kachikwu told Reuters.

The state oil company has been struggling to bring the refineries back to operation and has been giving several dates for the recommencement of the refineries, so as to the chronic fuel shortages in the country but to no avail.

“The refineries ... they are back, Port Harcourt, Warri have been supplied crude. We are also pumping to Kaduna and so by end of the May they will work,” he added.

Anita Fatunji