A tragic incident occurred in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region on Tuesday, as an explosion rocked an unlawful oil refinery, claiming the lives of at least 37 individuals.
The explosion took place in the Emohua area of Rivers State while the refinery was in the process of refining crude oil, as reported by local media outlets.
Among the victims was a pregnant woman, and numerous others suffered injuries.
In response to the emergency, the country’s firefighting teams have been dispatched to the site, and an official investigation has been initiated.
It is worth noting that Nigeria harbors numerous illegal oil refineries, which continue to operate despite regulations.
Nigeria possesses significant crude oil resources, with approximately 37 billion barrels of proven reserves, constituting 3.1% of global reserves.
As one of the top 15 crude oil producers globally, Nigeria ranks tenth in terms of proven oil reserves and sixth in oil exports.
However, the Delta region, which is rich in oil fields, has been plagued by incidents of sabotage, conflicts, and abductions in the past.
Last month, Nigeria’s minister of state for gas, Ekperikpe Ekpo, stated at the Gastech conference in Singapore that the country has ample natural gas reserves.
He expressed confidence in ramping up its production to over 5 billion cubic feet daily by the year 2030.
Highlighting the nation’s focus, Ekpo mentioned, “Nigeria has dedicated the years 2020 to 2030 as the decade of gas.
Thus, by 2030, we aim to achieve a daily production of 5.5 billion cubic feet (equivalent to 57 billion cubic meters annually).”
He also pointed out the availability of funds for expansion but didn’t provide specifics.
However, the Energy Institute reported a decline in Nigeria’s gas output by about 11% in 2022, from the rates in 2019 and 2020.
