Federal Government is said to be paying salaries to workers of moribund refineries in the country for the past three years now.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva told Arise TV on Monday in an interview that the staffers are still collecting their salaries, though the refineries are not functioning.
Sylva said that the government is also promoting the workers for the three years now.
He blamed the unions for supporting what he saw as abnormal, particularly encouraging payment of salaries to workers of the non-functional refineries.
The Minister, therefore, advocated the privatisation of refineries to make them functional.
In his contribution, Dr. Law Mefor, Arise public affairs analyst, supported the privatisation of refineries to make the private sector vibrant.
Mefor extolled the privatisation of refineries in Germany, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, noting that privatisation is the right way to go.
Four refineries owned by the Nigerian Government are managed by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), while the fifth is owned and operated by Niger Delta Petroleum Resources (NDPR).
Nigeria had shut down its oil refineries as it works to secure funding and a model to upgrade them but started importation of petroleum products.
