Uche Cecil Izuora
The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has called on the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to provide a definite, realistic, and workable timeline for the revival of Nigeria’s refineries.
Nigeria’s refineries located in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna have a combined installed production capacity of 445,000 barrels per day with
Port Harcourt Refinery built to handle 210,000 barrels per day, Warri Refinery installed to refine 125,000 barrels per day while Kaduna Refinery has 110,000 barrels per day capacity.
Despite this substantial capacity, the refineries have remained largely non-operational for years.
PETROAN notes with concern that over 4 billion US dollars has been spent on the rehabilitation of these refineries over time, including funds approved and disbursed for the most recent turnaround maintenance and rehabilitation contracts.
In spite of this huge expenditure of taxpayers’ money, Nigerians are yet to see tangible results, raising serious questions about efficiency, accountability, and project delivery.
Stakeholders and Nigerians have continuously demanded to know when those assets will return to production.
Closely linked to this is the concern over what has become of the billions of dollars committed to their rehabilitation.
While the NNPCL has announced that it is currently carrying out project appraisals and sourcing strategic partners, PETROAN insists that every serious project must be guided by a clear timeline with measurable milestones.
Nigerians deserve to know exactly when these refineries will return to operation.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja, PETROAN National President, Billy Gillis-Harry, expressed deep concern that Nigeria is fast approaching another election season.
He noted that governance and project execution often slow down during such periods, making it imperative that decisive action be taken within the first quarter of the year, ahead of the forthcoming election calendar.
Dr. Gillis-Harry stated that the operationalization of Nigeria’s refineries would significantly reduce the cost of petroleum products.
According to him, local refining will drastically cut importation, conserve foreign exchange, strengthen the naira, and create thousands of direct and indirect jobs across the petroleum value chain.
PETROAN reaffirmed its readiness to fully support the NNPCL and the Federal Government in reviving all four refineries, noting that credible foreign technical and financial partners are on standby to collaborate toward achieving this national objective.