₦airaland Forum

Oil marketers under the aegis of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) have asked the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Bayo Ojulari, to either fix the Port Harcourt Refinery immediately or resign from his position.

The Eastern Zonal Secretary of IPMAN, Comrade Emmanuel Inimgba, in a statement on Wednesday, following the continued shutdown of the refinery.

He expressed concerns over the delayed rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery, a project worth $1.5 billion, which he believes is being handled unprofessionally.

Daily Trust recalls that the refinery was shut down on May 24, 2025, for scheduled repairs of 30 days, but IPMAN said it’s now over 80 days without any significant activity.

Inimgba noted that the refinery’s shutdown has resulted in thousands of job losses, affecting tanker drivers, NUPENG members, PETROAN staff, IPMAN workers, and host community members.

He stated that fixing the refinery would create jobs, boost the local economy, improve fuel supply and distribution, increase government revenue, enhance energy security, and improve living standards for host community members.

Inimgba revealed that credible sources indicate contractors have withdrawn from the site due to lack of funds, and the NNPC GCEO has not visited the refinery in four months.

He stated that IPMAN has expressed support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reform agenda.

He added: “If the GCEO is unable to fix the Port Harcourt Refinery or demonstrate commitment to its rehabilitation, stakeholders and host communities will have no option but to call on President Tinubu to consider replacing him.”

Similarly, the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria had also reportedly accused the NNPC GCEO, Bayo Ojulari, of neglecting the revival of the Port Harcourt refinery.

PETROAN’s Zonal Chairman for System 2E (Eastern Zone), Sunny Nkpe, said in a statement that he was alarmed at the slow pace of work at the Old Port Harcourt Refinery (Area 5), which was shut down on May 24, 2025, for a 30-day scheduled repair.

Nkpe said he visited the Port Harcourt Refinery rehabilitation site last weekend as part of his oversight for fact-finding and was worried to see “the slow pace of activity” at the site. Nkpe was said to have expressed concerns that Ojulari had yet to visit the facility since he assumed office as the GCEO.

The NNPC GCEO, Bayo Ojulari, had, about two weeks ago, at a company-wide town hall meeting, officially ruled out the sale of the Port Harcourt Refining Company, reaffirming its commitment to completing high-grade rehabilitation and retention of the plant.

Ojulari had stated that his new position isn’t a shift but informed by ongoing detailed technical and financial reviews of the Port Harcourt, Kaduna and Warri refineries.

He said the ongoing review indicates that the earlier decision to operate the Port Harcourt refinery prior to full completion of its rehabilitation was ill-informed and sub-commercial, Ojulari said.

While progress is being made on all three, he said the emerging outlook calls for more advanced technical partnerships to complete and high-grade the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery, thus selling is highly unlikely as it would lead to further value erosion.

ogododo:
Nawa Nlfpmod, no be dem tell us say, Port-Harcourt refinery don dey fire.

How come dis one now.

Princecalm:
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has announced that the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries have been successfully re-streamed after a nine-month rehabilitation exercise conducted by its in-house engineers and technicians.

The corporation, in a statement, noted that both plants commenced preliminary production of petroleum products after successful test-runs, adding that while PHRC was ramping up its operation to about 60 per cent of its 210,000 barrels per day capacity, WRPC production was projected to hit 80 per cent of its installed 125,000bpd capacity.

The NNPC said the Port Harcourt refinery was projected to boost the nation’s local refining capacity with a product yield of five million litres of petrol per day, while Warri refinery would contribute 3.5 million litres of petrol.

Providing insight into the rehabilitation exercise, the NNPC noted that it had to adopt the phased rehabilitation strategy after the Original Refinery Builders, who were initially contacted for the project came up with unfavorable terms.

It said, “Though a decision was taken in 2011 to rehabilitate all the refineries using the ORB of each of the refineries, we were impelled to switch strategy after the ORBs declined participation and nominated some partners in their stead who came up with outrageously unfavorable terms.”

The NNPC stated that the nominated partners, as sole-bidders, came up with humongous price offers after two years of thorough and exhaustive scope of work definition and price negotiations.

It added that the proxies were also unwilling to provide post rehabilitation performance guarantees.

The corporation said, “The phased rehabilitation strategy which entailed phased and simultaneous rehabilitation of all the refineries using in-house and locally available resources in line with the spirit and letter of the Nigerian Content Law, also involved the use of Original Equipment Manufacturer representatives to effect major equipment overhaul and rehabilitation.”

The national oil firm said the phased rehabilitation programme, which started in October 2014 after the required funding stream was established, created a 70 per cent reduction in costs which helped largely in mitigating the financing challenges of refinery rehabilitation.

It observed that with the successful re-streaming of the PHRC and WRPC, attention has now moved to the 110,000 barrels per day Kaduna Refining and Petrochemicals Company which was billed to come on stream soon.

http://www.punchng.com/news/pharcourt-warri-refineries-commence-preliminary-operations-nnpc/

SmartPolician:
The NNPC shouldn't bother fixing those government refineries. They should just sell the refineries and use the money to invest in other areas.

You will be shocked that those refineries will start working the moment private players buy and start running them because the evil people in government don't want them to function.

ufotunang:
Let them sell the refineries to the private sector, private oil operators, entrepreneurs there are the ones that are good in operating and running businesses, refineries ..not the government...

the role of government is to provide a conducive environment for businesses, refineries to thrive.. not to operate and run businesses and refineries..for example see dangote refinery a private oil operator still operating and running effectively without any problems and break down

thisweekng:
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Chief Olawale Edun has said the last time Nigeria’s economy looked stable was about a decade ago.

He made this statement during his maiden press conference as Minister of Finance where he outlined President Bola Tinubu’s vision, agenda and strategy for the economy.

He said, “I think as we all know, we are not where we should be. The economy is barely growing above the rate of population growth.

“But it was not always so, and I think in trying to look at the way forward, if we now have a situation of slow growth, double-digit inflation, weak/depreciating exchange rate, as well as security concerns that are resulting in an economy that is not growing and not taking Nigerians out of poverty.

“If we think back to the last time when the economy was stable- when it was growing, when inflation was low, and the interest rate was affordable, that period was about a decade ago. Growth was about 6% in 2013 and 2014.”
Private sector to drive the economy

https://nairametrics.com/2023/09/01/the-last-time-nigerias-economy-was-stable-was-about-a-decade-ago-wale-edun/

SmartPolician:
The NNPC shouldn't bother fixing those government refineries. They should just sell the refineries and use the money to invest in other areas.

You will be shocked that those refineries will start working the moment private players buy and start running them because the evil people in government don't want them to function.

JAWBONE:
Lol

Dem never still sack this Atiku in law guy abi dem wan use this case to cover up so dem fit sack am

CodeTemplarr:
It is obvious the marketers are not favoured by the current happeninhs under Ojulari.

SmartPolician:
The NNPC shouldn't bother fixing those government refineries. They should just sell the refineries and use the money to invest in other areas.

You will be shocked that those refineries will start working the moment private players buy and start running them because the evil people in government don't want them to function.

yorosstores:
Where were the marketers when Kyari was in charge