Akufo-Addo should relocate Sentuo Refinery to TOR - Former NDC Executive

Former NDC executive and Secretary to the Tema Sakumor Shrine, Stephen Ashitey Adjei, has made a clarion call on President Akufo-Addo to amalgamate a private oil refinery that is being put up in Tema with the state owned Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) in order to stem waste and save cost.

In a statement released on Monday, Mr. Ashitey Adjei, who is popularly called Moshake, said that such an arrangement would end the disgraceful spectacle of TOR sitting as a white elephant and also spare the people of Manhean and its environs additional hazard from living within an enclave that hosts oil refineries.

“The reason why TOR is not operating is because they do not have crude to refine; however, we have heard that the Sentuo oil refinery which is being put up by a private Chinese investor, will refine up to 5million barrels a year.

Rather than the upcoming situation where Sentuo is being built in the same Manhean community near TOR, wouldn’t it be prudent if the government gives the management of TOR to the private investor under a PPP arrangement?” Moshake asked rhetorically.

According to former NDC executive, “giving TOR out to private management will not only end the current shameful spectacle where the national refinery is sitting useless because there is no crude to refine, it will also make it unnecessary to put up a second oil refinery which will increase hazard profile for the people of Tema Manhean.”

Already, Moshake has been reported as raising concern over the siting of another oil refinery in Manhean where the presence of TOR already puts the lives of the people in danger because in the event of an explosion, Manhean could be wiped off.He called on President Akufo-Addo to, as a matter of responsibility for the lives of citizens and good business practice, relocate Sentuo oil refinery to TOR.

“The combined effect of Article 58 and Article 295 of the 1992 constitution is that the president is government and government is the President. And so, I have no choice but to call on the president himself to get the needful done,” Moshake wrote.But Sentuo is already coming up with construction works for the refinery completed while pipes are being laid as part of the finishing touches.

Moshake, who is also the leader of over 4,000 ex-workers of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority fighting for their retrenchment benefits which have been unpaid since 2002, pointed out the siting of Sentuo is a waste of Manhean lands.

“The presence of TOR here means the people of Manhean have already lost a swathe of their land to government. It is unacceptable that the refinery is sitting useless only for the same government to give out another parcel of the land here to another investor – this is a text book example of imprudent use of land,” Moshake wrote.

He added that it is also irresponsible of the state to sit and watch while the best brains and technocrats at TOR leave for other countries, including Abu Dhabi to work because there is no crude to refine.

“The refinery is in operable condition – they just are not refining crude because there is no crude to refine. And this is so because some high-ups in government prefer that TOR does not work because if it does, the huge amounts of money that they make from the importation of finished crude products will cease to come.”

He said that evidence of this fact is that TOR had been in operation during the presidency of Professor Mills and under the leadership of former boss, Awuah Darko as well as Dr. Alphonse Kwao Dorcoo.

“What TOR needs is effective and resourceful management and this is where Mr. Xu Ningquan, who is the Board Chairman for Sentuo comes in; the man has been pillar to the Ghanaian economy, putting up factories including one for ceramics, if we give him TOR, he can run it proficiently,” Moshake wrote.

He also pointed out that the ongoing siting of Sentuo’s refinery in Manhean cannot be blamed on Mr. Xu Ningquan because, “Sentuo only requested for land and the land was given it by the TDC.”