The Port Harcourt Refinery plant is still on despite the announcement by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL Ltd) on its shutdown for another round of maintenance.
Monitoring by The Guardian showed that the flare was still burning from Saturday, when the announcement was made, till Sunday, May 25. Though, despite the fanfare that greeted the takeoff of the refinery in November 2024, which happened after several postponements, activities have remained low inside and within the refinery, as petroleum marketers confirmed off-take of kerosene and diesel but decried inability to truck out products from the facility.
There were indications that the plant will be shut down anytime soon, according to a worker, met at the facility, who explained that the “shutdown goes through some procedures.”
A top management staff member who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Guardian that they were not allowed to speak but stated that the workers are not happy with the development of things at the refinery.
The shutdown may have followed mounting allegations of mismanagement and alleged embezzlement of a $1.5 billion budgeted by the former Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Mele Kyari, for the facility’s turnaround.
The Senate had in August 2024 probed the $1.5 billion approved in 2021 for the turnaround maintenance of the Port Harcourt refinery with little or no results, but to date, no update on the probe has been received.
The NNPCL had assured that the refinery would start with a 60,000 barrels per day capacity, releasing Premium Motor Spirit, diesel, and others into the Nigerian Market, but that was never achieved.
Piqued by the disappointment, the Ijaw National Congress (INC) and the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) said shutting down the refinery for another turnaround maintenance in less than six months of takeoff is ridiculous, especially given the huge resources that were expended in the last maintenance.
National Publicity Secretary of INC, Ezonebi Oyakemeagbegha, and former National Publicity Secretary of PANDEF, Dr. Ken Robinson, called for the probe of former NNPCL boss, Kyari.
INC spokesman said, “There is an urgent need to investigate the system. We call for a thorough probe into Kyari’s stewardship, and he should account for the billions claimed for the last turnaround maintenance. This will help prevent further embezzlement of public funds and impoverishment of the masses.”
“This is a country where leaders are not held accountable for their actions. Perhaps the federal government should consider privatising the refineries if that’s the solution. We’re tired of these empty and meaningless stories.”
Oyakemeagbegha queried why the NNPCL would create the impression that operating refineries and distilling crude oil is an impossible task, when even illegal bunkers manage to distil crude oil.
“The fraud in the oil sector is overwhelming. As the mainstay of the Nigerian economy, why can’t we get it right? It’s always about subsidies, turnaround maintenance, or some other excuse, all at the expense of ordinary Nigerians.
“What’s most painful is that this involves the God-given wealth of the Niger Delta people being taken away and misused. This is why we continually advocate for total resource control—it’s the only solution to this chaos,” he stated.
On his part, Robinson said it is sad that Nigerians are the enemies of Nigeria by using any little opportunity in public office to enrich themselves unnecessarily and deplete the resources of the nation.
He insisted that such should not be allowed anymore, adding that people should be held responsible for their actions.
“Every Nigerian should be worried by this sad development. Kyari should be investigated, particularly concerning the Port Harcourt refinery, Warri, and Kaduna refinery, and brought to book to serve as a deterrent to others.”
