The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, has commended the immediate past leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) under Mele Kyari, saying it will be remembered for landmark reforms in the oil and gas sector.
Ugochinyere, who represents Ideato North/South Federal Constituency of Imo State, said Kyari’s tenure witnessed key transformations, including the company’s transition into a commercially driven entity, the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA),the removal of fuel subsidy, and progress in domestic refining of petroleum products.
Speaking in a statement issued in response to the recent leadership change at the NNPCL, which saw the exit of Kyari and the appointment of Bashir Ojulari as the new Group Chief Executive Officer, Ugochinyere said:
“As obtained in any position, both elected and appointed, there must come a time when the occupant must leave. For Kyari, he exited when the ovation was still high, having left indelible footprints in the sand of history in the oil and gas sector.”
Highlighting the achievements under Kyari’s leadership, Ugochinyere noted that the national oil company witnessed increased crude oil production and reactivation of dormant refineries.
“I commend Kyari’s efforts as under his watch, the Port Harcourt Refinery with two refining units capable of handling 210,000 barrels of crude oil per day (bpd) was resuscitated,” he stated.
“Similar feat was being replicated in the Warri Refinery with a distillation capacity of 125,000 bpd, which includes a petrochemical plant that produces 13,000 metric tons per annum (MTA) of polypropylene and 18,000 MTA of carbon black.”
He recalled that on December 30, 2024, President Bola Tinubu and the NNPC Ltd. announced the partial resumption of operations at the Warri Refinery after years of inactivity, marking a significant milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to boost domestic fuel production.
Ugochinyere also praised the operational commencement of the Dangote Refinery, which began producing petrol in September 2024.
“Since September 2024, the refinery started producing petrol. It initially supplied 25 million liters per day, with plans to gradually increase production to 35 million liters daily. It is playing a major role in meeting Nigeria’s fuel needs and reducing the country’s reliance on imports as well as pump price,” he said.
The lawmaker attributed these advancements to the “tireless efforts” of Mele Kyari during his time as Group Managing Director of the NNPC and later as Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, following the enactment of the PIA.
“All these became possible through the tireless efforts of Mele Kyari when he held sway,” Ugochinyere added.
