PUNCH
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday congratulated the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited on the successful revitalisation of the Port Harcourt Refinery.
Tinubu also urged NNPC Limited to expedite the scheduled reactivation of the second Port Harcourt refinery and the Warri and Kaduna refineries.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed this in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja.
The statement is titled ‘President Tinubu celebrates revival of Port Harcourt refinery and directs NNPC Limited to promptly reactivate Warri and Kaduna refineries.’
Onanuga said, “The President acknowledges the pivotal role of former President Muhammadu Buhari in initiating the comprehensive rehabilitation of all our refineries and expresses gratitude to the African Export-Import Bank for its confidence in financing this critical project.
“Furthermore, President Tinubu commends the leadership of NNPC Limited’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mele Kyari, whose unwavering dedication and commitment were instrumental in overcoming challenges to achieve this milestone.
“With the successful revival of the Port Harcourt refinery, President Tinubu urges NNPC Limited to expedite the scheduled reactivation of both the second Port Harcourt refinery and the Warri and Kaduna refineries.”
The refinery, located in Rivers State consists of two complexes: the Old Refinery, built in 1965 with an initial capacity of 60,000 barrels per day, and the New Refinery, constructed in 1989, which added another 150,000 bpd capacity.
Together, the two refineries have a combined capacity of 210,000 bpd, making it one of the largest refineries in sub-Saharan Africa.
However, for decades, the refinery operated below capacity due to poor maintenance, a lack of investment, and corruption, pundits say.
Meanwhile, Nigeria remained heavily reliant on imported petroleum products despite being a leading crude oil producer.
Efforts to rehabilitate the refinery were initiated under the Buhari administration, to restore full capacity by 2023.
The rehabilitation was funded with $1.5bn, primarily financed through the African Export-Import Bank.
However, progress has been plagued by delays, missed deadlines, and technical challenges.
Although mechanical work was declared complete in early 2024, the commissioning of critical units faced setbacks due to unexpected operational risks.
The NNPCL said the refinery would begin trucking out 60,000 barrels of capacity per day of Premium Motor Spirit, diesel, and others into the local market from November 26, 2024.
Reacting to the development, Tinubu said these efforts will significantly enhance domestic production capacity alongside the contributions of privately-owned refineries and “make our country a major energy hub, with the gas sector also enjoying unprecedented attention by the administration.”
The President underscored his administration’s determination to repair the nation’s refineries to eradicate the disheartening perception of Nigeria as a major crude oil producer that lacks the ability to refine its own resources for domestic…
