Concerns as NNPC Misses Deadline to Begin Production at Port Harcourt Refinery Again
- Fuel production at the Rivers state refinery in Port Harcourt has been delayed by the NNPC again
- This was despite initial expectations that the Port Harcourt refinery would start operations in September 2024
- As of August 2024, the refinery has failed to commence operations after about six postponements
Legit.ng journalist Zainab Iwayemi has over 3-year-experience covering the Economy, Technology, and Capital Market.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has once again delayed fuel production at the Port Harcourt refinery in Rivers state.
Source: UGC
This comes despite the refinery failing to commence operations after approximately six postponements by August 2024.
According to Punch, the federal ministry of petroleum resources and NNPC's pledges to Nigerians over the refinery have been met by non-existence.
Umar Ajiya, the chief financial officer of the NNPC, had earlier claimed the Port Harcourt refinery would start operations in September 2024 following its failure to meet August deadline.
Ajiya had stated in an August interview with media that petroleum products would be prepared for testing in August before being made available to the domestic market in September.
However, September came to a close and the NNPC provided no refinery updates.
How NNPC reacted
When Punch correspondent asked the NNPC for an update on the refinery last week, the commission didn't respond.
On September 22 and 30, 2024, inquiries were sent to Olufemi Soneye, the oil company's chief corporate communications officer, but he did not respond.
But Maire Tecnimont SpA, the contractor in charge of the Port Harcourt refinery's restoration, promised to give information on the project's completion by October 2 at the latest.
In response to a correspondence from Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), regarding the approximate completion date of the refinery's restoration, the contractor communicated this information via the legal company Olajide Oyewole LLP.
In response to Falana's request, the law firm stated that its client has received his letters dated September 17 and 24 regarding the contract with the NNPC and is currently reviewing the information.
“Our client is considering your letters and they intend to get back to you on or before 2 October 2024,” the law firm had said.
FG addresses sale of Port Harcourt refinery
Legit.ng reported that the Nigerian government, on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, blamed the current state of Nigeria’s refineries, including the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries, on labour opposition to selling them to Aliko Dangote and Femi Otedola.
The special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this as he reacted to trade union claims of human rights abuses against the government over the arrest of the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero.
Ajaero could not attend the meeting organised by the Trade Union Congress in the UK, which began on Tuesday, due to his arrest.
Proofreading by James, Ojo Adakole, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.
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