Victor Ezeja
Petroleum engineer, Mr Martin Onovo, has alleged that the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has not been providing accurate information about the status of ongoing rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery.
His comment comes amid worries expressed by Nigerians over the delay in the commencement of crude oil refining in the facility coupled with the current scarcity and high cost of petroleum products across the country.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelPrime Business Africa recalls that the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, had after a meeting with the Refinery Rehabilitation Committee in December 2023, announced the completion of the mechanical phase of the rehabilitation project. The NNPCL subsequently promised that the refinery would begin production in January this year.
The national oil company, however, failed to keep its promise. The Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Mele Kyari, on March 28 gave assurance that the refinery would resume operations in two weeks time. However, the refinery is yet to commence operations due to pending regulatory and compliance tests, according to the oil company’s spokesperson, Femi Soneye.
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However, Mr Onovo, the NCP presidential candidate in 2015 general election, said the word “mechanical completion” used by NNPCL to communicate about progress of work at the refinery was inaccurate. According to him, mechanical phase completion means that all mechanical components of the plant have been fixed whereas what happened was that they only finished a part.
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The petroleum engineer, who appeared on Channels Television Sunrise Daily on Monday, said: “When you achieve mechanical completion on a project is when you have achieved mechanical completion on all the components not on all the components. But they needed to put out that announcement to show that they have made some progress. I think they could have managed it better by being specific and by also saying what is outstanding to be done, and that’s why we are here today,” Onovo stated.
He said there were cases of delay in the supply of equipment for the work and some sub-contractors were not paid and they are refusing to work.
He stressed the need for proper planning and also urged the NNPCL to take responsibility for what is happening and tell the public the true situation of things.
Commencement of operations of the facility together with other ones, including Warri, and Dangote refineries, is expected to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on import of petroleum products and also ease pressure on foreign exchange.
Speaking on the current fuel scarcity across the nation, Onovo said NNPCL needs to identify and address the logistical challenge it claimed was responsible for the situation.
He said if the problems are not squarely addressed, the country might continue to express scarcity of supply.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
