Victor EzejaThe National President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), Mr Billy Gillis-Harry, has expressed concerns about the potential negative impact of the shutdown of the Port Harcourt refinery on fuel prices.
Gillis-Harry said that while it may be difficult to predict fuel price at this time, it is certain that the shutdown of the refinery would impact on marketers as it would depend on long haulage from Lagos with its attendant logistical challenges.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) had on Saturday announced shutdown of the Port Harcourt refinery for scheduled maintenance.
The NNPCL, in a statement by its Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, said the maintenance will last for 30 days.
However, the announcement has raised reactions from Nigerians, marketers and other industry stakeholders about the sincerity of NNPCL in managing the refinery.
“This shutdown is really going to be something we need to be watchful and encourage NNPCL management not to allow it to be too extended,” Gillis-Harry stated when he appeared on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Morning Show, on Monday.
The PETROAN national president said marketers had been relying on supply from Dangote Refinery, Depot owners and Major marketers (MEMAN), adding that with the shutdown, the impact on prices will be inevitable.
“Pricing is something that will be difficult to predict, but it is going to impact negatively on us because we are going to be depending on the long haulage from Lagos,” Gillis-Harry further stated.
He said they received news of the Port Harcourt refinery shutdown with shock.
According to him, the NNPCL management had taken marketers on a tour of the refinery in March and demonstrated to them that production was going on.
“This sudden news of the refinery shutting down was shocking news to everybody, including us,” he stated.
READ ALSO: Port Harcourt Refinery Shutdown: Marketers Call On Minister, NNPCL GCEO To Intervene
The PETROAN president said Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) was not being produced as of the time they embarked on the tour. “The only thing we were sure of was that PMS was not being produced at that particular time we visited.”
He called on NNPCL staff to be transparent and tell Nigerians what is going on at the refinery because they are being paid with taxpayers’ money.
On whether PETROAN members got PMS supply from Port Harcourt refinery, during the period it was said to be active, Gillis-Harry said they were told to wait that available products were supplied to NNPCL retail outlets.
He reemphasised the need for transparency and accountability on the part of NNPCL.
He backed calls for the improvement of operations of all state-owned refineries, including privatisation for efficiency and boosting domestic production.
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.
