Artisanal crude oil refiners operating across creeks and riverine communities in Rivers State have formally petitioned the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), calling for a legal framework that would allow small-scale petroleum refining operations to function within a regulated environment.
The petition, signed by the Ijaw Artisanal Refiners Cooperative (IARC), argues that criminalising artisanal refining without providing alternative economic pathways for thousands of Niger Delta youth has only deepened the illegal crude oil economy while failing to address its root causes.
IARC spokesperson Godswill Obasi explained: "We are not thieves. We are entrepreneurs who have developed technical skills in the absence of any support from the state. Give us proper equipment, give us regulation, give us licensing — and we will give you a formal industry that pays taxes and creates jobs."
The NMDPRA has not formally responded to the petition but officials have privately acknowledged that any legalisation framework would face significant legal and political hurdles, particularly around questions of crude oil sourcing.
Environmental organisations have raised concerns about the ecological impact of artisanal refining, noting that the process produces significant amounts of waste oil and toxic byproducts that are often dumped directly into waterways.
Experts suggest a hybrid model — similar to what exists in parts of Indonesia — where government provides proper modular refinery equipment to cooperative groups, with strict environmental controls and revenue-sharing arrangements, could offer a viable path forward.
