Port-Harcourt Refinery Reopening Is Another Grand Deception From NNPCL — Coalition Of Civil Societies

Amid ongoing reactions to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited’s (NNPCL) announcement of the activation of the Port Harcourt refinery, a coalition of civil society organizations (CSOs) has urged caution.

The groups, under the Coalition for Accountability and Transparency in the Energy Sector (CATES), argued that what NNPCL was celebrating was not a fully functional refinery, but a facility that Nigerians had funded for a different purpose.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the spokesperson for the coalition, Dr. Linus Ikwur, pointed out that despite public outcry from various stakeholders warning against transforming the Port Harcourt refinery into a blending plant, the NNPCL proceeded with its plans, disregarding the concerns.

The coalition described the much-hyped Port Harcourt refinery as a classic case of, "what I ordered vs what I got," asserting that the NNPCL's decision to convert the heritage refinery into a blending plant undermines the interests of Nigerians, especially considering the significant funds allocated for its operationalisation.

"The NNPCL was given substantial funds to transform Port Harcourt into a full-fledged refinery. Instead, they now want to turn it into a blending plant, even after numerous warnings about the environmental risks of such an operation in a region already suffering from severe degradation," the statement read.

The coalition emphasised that Nigerians had paid for a refinery, not a blending plant.

This, they argued, exemplified a clear case of misrepresentation, where citizens were led to believe they were receiving a fully operational refinery, only to be presented with a much lesser facility.

"There is an urgent need for greater accountability, transparency, and integrity to ensure that the refineries operate at full capacity, not as blending plants," the statement continued.

Expressing deep disappointment, the coalition criticised the NNPCL's announcement that the refinery was intended to serve as a blending plant, dismissing it as part of a global industry practice.

They warned that the NNPCL should stop the deception immediately.

Dr. Ikwur stated, "It didn’t come as a surprise to us because we had raised enough alarms about this potential outcome. Despite our efforts to prevent it, the authorities remained silent until NNPCL finalised its plan.

“However, we were still dismayed by how the NNPCL misled Nigerians, including President Bola Tinubu, into thinking the Port Harcourt refinery had truly been revived."

He commended the media, particularly SaharaReporters, for uncovering the truth that Nigerians were celebrating a blending plant rather than an actual refinery.

"Nigerians are too wise to fall for such a grand deception. The President should not be swayed by this ploy to score political points," Ikwur warned.

He further called on NNPCL’s management, including Mele Kyari, to address the public’s concerns, explaining how the over N17 trillion spent on refineries had been used, and why none of the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries were operational despite receiving such enormous funding.

SaharaReporters had reported that NNPC on Tuesday claimed, "NNPC Ltd delivers Port Harcourt Refinery as plant begins trucking out products today, Tuesday 26th November 2024, at 1:45 pm. Watch the commissioning and trucking out event LIVE."

However, SaharaReporters also reported exclusively that the NNPCL was not actually exporting Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), as it had claimed.

According to a top insider, the NNPCL had purchased "Cracked C5 petroleum resins" and blended them with other products, including naphtha, passing them off as refinery output.

"The plant is running, but it's the old 60,000 bpd capacity. You can’t get PMS from it; it only produces diesel. The part that produces PMS has not been operational," the source revealed to SaharaReporters.

The NNPCL’s spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, confirmed the report in a statement, asserting that blending was a standard global practice in refinery operations.