From Madu Onuorah, Terhemba Daka (Abuja), Kelvin Ebiri (Port Harcourt), Willie Etim (Yenagoa), Taiwo Hassan and Blessing Eghagha (Lagos)
NOW the chicken has come to roost. The effects of the militancy in the Niger Delta and the Federal Government's clampdown on them have shaken the foundation of the oil and gas industry.
Consequently, the Warri and Port Harcourt refineries have been shut. The Kaduna Refinery, though functioning, has no crude to process because the Warri plant, which feeds it is shut due to a damage to major pipelines. The only stock, which was reserved, will be exhausted in the next 15 days, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said yesterday.
The corporation's Group Managing Director (GMD), Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo, who painted the pathetic picture of the industry, said in the next 15 days, it will run out of crude for domestic consumption.
The corporation attributed the development to the crisis in the Niger Delta, which has escalated since the government scaled up a military offensive against the militants in the region.
In retaliation, the militants have intensified their sabotage of the activities of oil firms in the zone. In the last three weeks, the militants have struck four times, destroying facilities belonging to Shell, Chevron and Agip, which are joint venture partners with the government.
http://odili.net/news/source/2009/jun/25/38.html
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