The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has called on the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to provide a definite, realistic and workable timeline for the revival of Nigeria’s refineries.
Nigeria’s three state-owned refineries located in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna have a combined installed capacity of 445,000 barrels per day, broken down as follows: Port Harcourt Refinery (210,000 bpd), Warri Refinery (125,000 bpd) and Kaduna Refinery (110,000 bpd). Despite this substantial capacity, the refineries have remained largely non-operational for several years.
PETROAN expressed concern that over $4 billion has been spent on the rehabilitation of the refineries over time, including funds approved and disbursed for the most recent turnaround maintenance and rehabilitation contracts.
The association noted that in spite of the huge expenditure of taxpayers’ money, Nigerians are yet to see tangible results, raising serious questions about efficiency, accountability and project delivery.
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According to PETROAN, stakeholders and Nigerians are now asking a simple but critical question: when will Nigeria’s refineries resume production? Closely linked to this is the concern over what has become of the billions of dollars committed to their rehabilitation.
While the NNPCL has announced that it is currently carrying out project appraisals and sourcing strategic partners, PETROAN insisted that every serious project must be guided by a clear timeline with measurable milestones.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja, PETROAN National President, Dr. Billy Gillis-Harry, expressed deep concern that Nigeria is fast approaching another election season, a period during which governance and project execution often slow down.
He stressed that decisive action must be taken within the first quarter of the year, ahead of the forthcoming election calendar.
Dr. Gillis-Harry said the operationalisation of Nigeria’s refineries would significantly reduce the cost of petroleum products, cut importation, conserve foreign exchange, strengthen the naira and create thousands of direct and indirect jobs across the petroleum value chain.
PETROAN reaffirmed its readiness to support the NNPCL and the Federal Government in reviving all four refineries, noting that credible foreign technical and financial partners are on standby to collaborate towards achieving the national objective.
