The Zonal Chairman of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), High Chief Sunny Nkpe, has begun consultations with industry stakeholders to address the prolonged inactivity of the Old Port Harcourt Refinery (Area 5), which has been shut down since May 24, 2025, for a scheduled 30-day repair.
Nkpe, who visited the refinery site over the weekend on a fact-finding mission, expressed deep concern over the slow pace of rehabilitation. Speaking to journalists at the Port Harcourt International Airport before departing for Abuja, he noted that the contractors on-site complained of being owed for over 12 months, resulting in stalled work despite the repairs on the cracking and blending plant of Units 12 and 14 nearing completion.
He criticised the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, for not physically visiting the Port Harcourt Refinery in his four months in office, alleging a lack of commitment that could give private refineries undue monopoly over petroleum supply and drive up product prices.“Thousands of tanker drivers, PETROAN members, and IPMAN staff are currently out of work.
The Port Harcourt refinery is key to stabilising fuel prices and reducing the dominance of private refineries. We cannot allow vested interests to sabotage the vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Nkpe stated. The PETROAN Zonal Chairman said he will engage relevant bodies, including NUPENG’s Industrial Motor Branch, Petroleum Tanker Drivers, IPMAN, NUGASAN, and Sutakep, to agree on legitimate measures to demand the refinery’s revival.
Also Read: The Inverter Boom and Its Ripple Effect on Nigeria’s Power Holding Companies
He stressed that when the refinery operated for seven months previously, it boosted economic activities, created jobs, and stabilised petroleum product prices nationwide, supplying key cities like Aba, Enugu, and Makurdi. Nkpe urged President Tinubu to direct immediate action to complete the repairs, warning that the delay appears to be orchestrated by vested interests.
When asked if stakeholders might back calls by civil society organisations for the sack of the NNPCL GCEO or disrupt petroleum distribution, Nkpe said such decisions would depend on a collective agreement but reaffirmed support for the president’s reform agenda.
