Why Naija fuel price dey high even though we dey produce oil? Actor Okunnu ask question

Naija pipo dey wonder why fuel price dey high for our kontri even though Nigeria na big oil producer for world. Dis mata don make actor Okunnu ask question about our crude oil status. As we dey see fuel price dey climb for petrol stations, many pipo dey ask why we no fit use our own oil make fuel cheap for Naija.

For dis matter, we go look how oil industry dey work for world. Even though Nigeria dey export plenty crude oil, we still dey import refined fuel like petrol, diesel and kerosene. Dis na because our refineries no dey work well. For many years now, our four main refineries for Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna no dey produce enough fuel for Naija pipo.

Professor of engineering Hugh Daigle from University of Texas at Austin explain say oil industry na global market wey dey connect all kontris. Even America wey dey export plenty oil still dey import oil because dem get different types of refineries wey need different types of crude oil. Some refineries dey set up to process heavy crude from places like Venezuela, while others need light crude.

For Naija case, our problem na infrastructure. Our refineries old and no dey work well, and we no get enough pipelines to move crude oil from where we dey produce am to where we need am. Even if we produce plenty crude oil for Niger Delta, we no fit refine am for Naija because our refineries no dey work.

Building new refinery na expensive matter. E go cost billions of dollars, and business pipo no go invest dat kind money unless dem sure say demand for fuel go remain high for many years. Dat na why private companies like Dangote Refinery dey important – dem dey build new refinery wey go fit process Naija crude oil.

Another matter na type of crude oil wey Nigeria dey produce. Naija crude na light sweet crude wey foreign refineries like well. E dey easy to refine into petrol and diesel. But our own refineries for Naija no dey set up well to process dis type of crude efficiently.

Global oil prices dey affect Naija fuel prices too. When war for Middle East or other problems dey happen for world, oil prices go up. Even though Nigeria dey produce oil, we still dey follow world market prices. If international oil prices rise, cost of importing fuel go rise too.

Government policies dey affect fuel prices. Subsidy removal make fuel prices jump high. Before now, government dey pay subsidy to make fuel cheap, but now dat subsidy don go, market forces dey determine prices. Dis mean when global prices rise, Naija fuel prices go rise too.

Solutions dey for dis problem. First, we need make our refineries work well. Port Harcourt Refinery don dey undergo rehabilitation, and when e complete, e go help reduce fuel import. Dangote Refinery for Lagos go help too when e start full operation.

We need better infrastructure like pipelines and storage tanks. If we fit move crude oil from Niger Delta to refineries for other parts of Naija, e go reduce cost. We also need train more engineers and technicians wey go fit maintain our oil facilities.

Diversification of energy sources go help. If we develop solar power, wind energy and natural gas, we go reduce our dependence on imported fuel. Nigeria get plenty natural gas wey we fit use for power generation and transportation.

Transparency for oil sector important. If NNPC and oil companies dey show how dem dey manage our oil resources, pipo go understand why fuel prices dey high. Corruption dey worsen dis matter – if we reduce corruption for oil sector, more money go available to fix refineries.

International factors dey affect us too. Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) decisions dey affect how much oil Nigeria fit produce. Sometimes OPEC dey cut production to make prices rise, and dis affect how much crude we fit export.

For now, Naija pipo dey feel dis fuel price pain. Motorists dey pay more for petrol, transport costs dey rise, and prices of goods and services dey increase. Dis affect poor pipo pass, because dem dey spend bigger portion of their money on transport and energy.

Government say dem dey work on solutions. Ministry of Petroleum Resources and NNPC dey try to fix refineries and attract private investment. But progress dey slow, and pipo dey tire of waiting.

As actor Okunnu ask, why fuel dey expensive for oil-producing nation? Answer dey complex – e involve our broken refineries, global market forces, infrastructure problems, and policy decisions. Until we fix our refining capacity and develop better energy infrastructure, Naija pipo go continue to pay high prices for fuel even though we dey produce plenty crude oil.