The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has once again failed to commence fuel production at the Port Harcourt refinery in Rivers State, despite repeated assurances. This marks the seventh postponement, with the refinery still not operational as of the end of September 2024.
Earlier promises by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and NNPC had raised hopes, with NNPC’s Chief Financial Officer, Umar Ajiya, assuring Nigerians that the refinery would begin producing petroleum products by September. Ajiya had told journalists in August that the refinery would undergo testing, with products ready for the domestic market in September. However, as September ended, no updates were provided by the NNPC.
Attempts to contact NNPC for an update were unsuccessful. The Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, did not respond to inquiries sent on September 22 and 30, 2024.
Maire Tecnimont SpA, the contractor overseeing the refinery’s rehabilitation, has promised to provide details on the project’s completion by or before October 2, in response to an inquiry from Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana.
The ongoing delays have drawn criticism from Nigerians, who have long been awaiting the refinery’s revival. Since December 2023, NNPC has issued several dates for the refinery’s operation. In July, NNPC’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, assured the Senate that the refinery would be functional by early August. This marked the sixth postponement when the refinery failed to commence production.
The Port Harcourt refinery, with a capacity of 210,000 barrels per day, was supposed to undergo rehabilitation as part of a $1.5bn project approved in March 2021. The NNPC had announced that mechanical work was completed in December 2023, and the refinery would initially refine 60,000 barrels per day. However, despite these assurances, operations have yet to begin.
Nigerians remain frustrated by the lack of progress. The country continues to import fuel, spending as much as N2 trillion monthly, while the domestic refining capacity remains inadequate. The situation has fueled calls for privatization, with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar criticizing both the past and present administrations for not selling the nation’s refineries to private investors.
As the nation awaits updates from NNPC and its contractors, the hope remains that the refinery will soon commence operations, reducing the need for fuel imports and potentially lowering pump prices.
