Energy Advocates Condemn Collapse of $1.5b Port Harcourt Refinery, Demand Accountability

A group of energy advocates and socio-economic activists has condemned the collapse of the Port Harcourt Refining Company, just weeks after the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) claimed it had been restreamed.

The Energy Reforms Advocates and Socio-Economic Activists, led by Dr. Thomas Zion Godknows, at a press conference in Port Harcourt on Saturday, expressed their outrage over the failed rehabilitation project, which cost Nigerians $1.5 billion.

According to the group, the refinery’s shutdown results from the NNPCL’s fraudulent conduct and blatant lies about the facility’s status.

Godknows who described the the rehabilitation project as a scam accused the NNPCL of lying about the refinery’s status, claiming that it had been producing and distributing refined products when, in fact, it had stopped working altogether.

The group also alleged that the NNPCL had converted the Port Harcourt Refining Company into a blending plant for passing off sanction-tainted crude oil from Russia, a claim the corporation had previously denied.

“Recall that we categorically stated that the Port Harcourt Refining Company was no longer able to resume as a refinery because Mele Kyari, the Group Chief executive officer (GCEO) of NNPCL, with associates, has decided to convert it into a blending plant for passing off sanction-tainted crude oil from Russia,” the statement said. 

“The corporation again vehemently dismissed this fact as mischief. The actual mischief-maker became known when NNPCL put up a Nollywood show about reopening the refinery. Six trucks loaded residual or old stock, while NNPCL put up a Nollwood-worthy video production of 200 trucks loading petrol.

“The shock from presenting residual stock as freshly refined products had barely settled on Nigerians before it emerged that the refinery was merely blending several concoctions to assuage Nigerians, who started asking questions.

“The NNPCL floated the story about exporting refined products to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) the moment Nigerians started asking questions about the dangers that the blended concoction posed to their vehicles.

“True to form, Kyari purged the concoction from Port Harcourt Refinery to Dubai-based Gulf Transport & Trading Limited (GTT), an entity conveniently set up by Adisu Aliyu, a proxy for Mele Kyari, who runs his syndicates.

“The collapse of the Port Harcourt Refinery is a glaring reminder of the urgent need to reform NNPCL. It is also a wake-up call to insulate the other refineries from the ravages of NNPCL.

“This is why we are now demanding full disclosure of Warri Refineries. Will Warri Refinery become another blending plant that will function for only 23 days and collapse? What tales by moonlight are we going to hear about the other refineries?

“The lack of transparency in NNPCL’s operations is of grave concern. The public deserves clear and honest disclosure regarding the challenges and progress of something as critical as the Port Harcourt refinery to the nation’s energy security. The absence of detailed explanations and accountability measures only validates distrust among stakeholders.”

The group, therefore, urged the Federal Government to conduct an independent audit of the Port Harcourt Refinery rehabilitation project to identify the root causes of the failures and ensure accountability for the mismanagement of funds.