The old Port Harcourt Refinery will become functional by December, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, said yesterday.

Aside from the 60,000 barrels-per-day capacity refinery, the minister said repairs are ongoing on both the Warri and Kaduna refineries.

Sylva spoke with reporters after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said: “The rehabilitation of the refineries is ongoing. The old refinery in Port Harcourt, which is about 60,000 barrels per day capacity, will be functional by December.

“We still have some time in the contracting time to conclude the rest of the Port Harcourt refineries.

“Works on the Kaduna and Warri refineries are also progressing very well.”

He said the development of compressed natural gas (CNG) was in progress.

“On the CNG development, it’s very much in progress. That is part of the promises we made, part of the things we want to put in place before the removal of subsidy.

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“Subsidy has still not been removed because some of these agreed upon conditions have not been met.

“We’re definitely working assiduously to ensure that all the facilities are in place – the pumping stations and the conversion kits,” he said.

Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), faulted the disruption of traffic around the Sagamu Interchange of the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway by students, saying it violated the law.

He also appealed for the public’s understanding over the inconveniences being faced around the yet-to-be-completed segment of the busy road.

On the gridlock in the axis, Fashola said: “It’s a combination of the work that is being done, the traffic and the behaviour of drivers and commuters, as well as elements – heavy rainfall recently – that are causing the discomfort.

“I apologise and empathise with citizens and commuters, who need that place to get on with their lives.

“It’s the place we left to the last really because it’s the most built-up area.

“The last six kilometres into Lagos is very densely populated and occupied and there’s very little room for alternative routes for people, so they just have to bear with us.

“I also heard that some aggrieved students, under the aegis of NANS, are going on to the road to protest. My respectful view is that that is not helpful to the citizens.

“The right to protest is a very well-protected right in our Constitution, but it does not include the right to inflict pain and inconvenience on other people.

“So, whilst their protests can go on, they should refrain from blocking the road in order to do their protest. That in itself is a violation of the law if they are well advised.”