Sustaining the momentum of modular refineries, the Godwin Igwe model

Godwin Igwe, modular refinery promoter, asks FG to sustain momentum, writes BEN EGUZOZIE, PORT HARCOURT

Stakeholders, especially from oil-rich Niger Delta, have been commending the Federal Government for finally recognising modular refineries, as a transformation from former local artisan refiners (otherwise called illegal refineries operators). Recently, a couple of licences were issued for take-off of the miniature refineries in parts of the country. However, a breach remains – to maintain sustained momentum on this sector of the nation’s oil industry. Sadly, since then, no word has come from the Federal Government on progress of the refineries.

Some petroleum experts, who all support the transformation of artisanal refiners into modular refineries, said that there was urgent need for adviser to the government on the modular refineries’ operational model. “We need a strong advocate as champion and adviser to the government [on modular refineries],” they said. And they have pointed to Godwin-Joseph Igwe, a proven world chemical engineer, a professor of Chemical Engineering, who has just been awarded “the most consistent academic with written articles on the Economic Benefits of Modular Refinery Development.”

The experts said: “Let Prof. Igwe be the driving force directly to the government and the people, without being filtered by bureaucratic barriers which has kept us down for many years.  Many licenses (in Modular Refineries) have been issued, but nothing come out of them because no one owns the management process because it is government business.  We need an experienced Nigerian who is above selfish interest, who can provide guidance for this new found innovative idea.”

Igwe is an inventor and author of three books and over 50 peer-reviewed articles.  He has taught in universities (Rivers State University, formerly University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, Nigeria; Texas A&M University and Prairie View A&M University, Texas, all in United States of America.  For over 10 years, he worked with E.I. DuPont, one of the premier chemical and petrochemical multinational corporations in the world, and Continental Oil Corporation, Conoco Inc., and served variously as senior staff engineer, senior research engineer and senior information scientist.

Igwe, Rivers State-born, had attended numerous top management, industrial, and research trainings, where ethics and disciplined professional attitude to work, is job number one.  He consulted for Core Laboratories in Houston, and was peer-reviewer for U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). Today, he is the president and CEO of Technology Transfers, Inc., Newark, Delaware, USA.

He has attained the highest professional grade of membership of Chemical Engineering in the world (today a Fellow), and was the only African awarded a World Bank McNamara fellowship for outstanding scholarship in 1988, to research on petroleum products in USA, and Alexander-von-Humboldt outstanding International Scholar. He was appointed Professor of Chemical Engineering in 1990 by the University of Benin.

Apart from speaking his native Omoku dialect, also speaks English and German languages fluently. He was director of NNPC/Flopetrol and Pioneer Director, Centre for Gas, Refining & Petrochemicals, Institute of Petroleum Studies (CGRP-IPS), University of Port Harcourt. He is currently Professor of Chemical Engineering in the Department of Petroleum & Gas Engineering, UniPort. He successfully organised the first, second, third and fourth international conferences on Petroleum Refining & Petrochemicals (including modular refineries) (August 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Igwe’s passion for modular refineries in Nigeria is legendary, because he passionately drove and advocated the innovative idea of modular refineries as a value-adding solution to fuel scarcity, competitiveness, economic and national security and jobs.  For him, Modular Refineries move can produce 1 million litres of petroleum products daily, create 1 million jobs. He said the cost of a 30-day fuel importation was enough to build 10-15 modular refineries. He had established a modular refinery for University of Port Harcourt in late 2015. He described Federal Government’s decision to embrace modular refineries from the local artisan refiners (illegal refineries) as commendable. Said Igwe: “It is sound strategy, even though long overdue.  First, let’s humanise the activities and call them artisanal or cottage industries. Remember, a country, unable to refine its own crude oil lacks internal, external, social and economic security.

“With a thoughtful implementation and management of the modular refineries program, the government can reduce joblessness, poverty, and hunger in the Niger Delta states. The program should be envisioned, enabled and well-articulated in terms of infrastructure development investments, budgeting, crude oil supplies, power supplies, and technical entrepreneurial professionals, to avoid people following so many rabbits from a blanket general statement of consortia formation supporting establishment of modular refineries,” he said in a recent note to our correspondent. He is currently NLNG Chair of Gas Processing Engineering at the University of Port Harcourt.

Igwe was elected director, Fuels & Petrochemicals Division, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (2002–2005); elected director, Environmental Division,  American Institute of Chemical Engineers (1997–2000); reviewer: Journal of Environmental Progress; reviewer: Journal of Hazardous Materials, November 2003 till date; reviewer: ASTM Standards (2002-date); reviewer: International Association for Hydrogen Energy, March 2003; Editorial Review Board: Journal of Filtration & Separation; nominated: DuPont Engineering Excellence Award; awarded Federal Government of Nigeria scholarship leading to award of PhD at University of Bradford, England.  He is a senior member, Society of Petroleum Engineers, American Chemical Society, American Filtration & Separation Society, IBWA (International Bottled Water Association), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).

Godwin-Joseph Igwe, a native of Omoku, Ogba-Ndoni-Egbema Local Government Area, Rivers State, is a registered Professional Engineer (PE) in Texas, and Council for Regulation of Engineering COREN, Nigeria, and founding membership chairman of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigeria section.  He earned a Diploma-Ing. degree from University of Kiel, Germany, (1977), MPhil from University of Leeds, (1981) and PhD from University of Bradford, England (1983), all in Chemical Engineering.  He is listed in Marquis “Who is Who” in Science and Engineering, and “Who is Who” in America.