Amid ongoing delays in the rehabilitation of Nigeria’s three major refineries, the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has called on President Bola Tinubu to personally intervene and establish a clear completion timeline.
The refineries in question—the Port Harcourt Refinery (new and old), Warri Refinery, and Kaduna Refinery—have consistently missed deadlines despite repeated assurances from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and its contractors.
PETROAN Demands Presidential Panel on Refinery Delays
In a strongly-worded statement on Monday, PETROAN’s National Public Relations Officer, Dr. Joseph Obele, criticized the pace of progress on the multi-billion-dollar refinery projects and proposed the creation of a high-level facilitating panel to fast-track their completion.
“The Nigerian people deserve clarity on when they can expect the refineries to commence operations,” the group said.
The proposed panel would include representatives from:
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NMDPRA
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NUPRC
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NNPC
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NUPENG
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PENGASSAN
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MEMAN
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DAPPMAN
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PETROAN
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Other industry experts
Second Port Harcourt Refinery Key to Reducing Logistics Cost
While applauding the partial commencement of the old Port Harcourt refinery (60,000 bpd), PETROAN emphasized the importance of the second Port Harcourt refinery (210,000 bpd), which it says is critical to serving System 2E—a distribution zone covering 13 states.
“Transporting products from Lagos to System 2E is exorbitant. Local refining will ease this burden,” PETROAN noted.
The group insists that NNPC must provide a specific, realistic timeline for completing the rehabilitation and commissioning of all the refineries, especially the high-capacity Port Harcourt unit.
“Unacceptable Delays”—PETROAN President Decries Lack of Progress
PETROAN President Dr. Billy Gillis Harry, speaking in Abuja, described the continued delays as unacceptable:
“Nigerians deserve to know when the project will be completed. The huge amount borrowed for the project should concern every citizen.”
He reiterated that the completion of the 210,000 bpd Port Harcourt refinery, along with the 125,000 bpd Warri and 110,000 bpd Kaduna refineries, would boost local petroleum sufficiency and stabilize prices nationwide.
Leadership Gaps and Accountability Concerns
PETROAN further noted that the vacant Managing Director position at the Port Harcourt Refinery was a key bottleneck and urged NNPC’s new GCEO, Bayo Ojulari, to appoint a substantive MD immediately.
“This appointment would provide the necessary leadership and direction to drive the project forward,” the statement said.
PETROAN also commended President Tinubu for appointing Ojulari, describing him as “a round peg in a round hole,” while charging him to approach his new role as a call to national duty.
Accountability and Transparency Demanded
As billions have been committed to the projects, PETROAN stated it would demand full accountability for every naira spent:
“The prolonged delay undermines Nigeria’s goal of energy self-sufficiency and worsens the economic hardship faced by citizens.”
The association closed by stressing the urgent national importance of completing the refinery rehabilitation projects without further delay.
