The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has once again failed to bring the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) into operation, marking the sixth time the refinery’s start date has been postponed.
This repeated delay continues to frustrate Nigerians who have been waiting for the refinery to resume operations, as earlier promised by the NNPCL and the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
Since December 2023, NNPCL has provided various timelines for the refinery’s operational start, but none have materialized. Most recently, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Mele Kyari, assured that the refinery would be up and running by early August 2024. However, as the month progresses, the facility remains idle.
When asked about the status of the refinery, NNPCL’s spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, responded briefly, stating, “We are on course.” This statement has done little to quell the concerns of many Nigerians who have witnessed multiple promises of resumption come and go without results.
The Port Harcourt refinery, which has a capacity of 210,000 barrels per day, was said to have completed mechanical rehabilitation work in December 2023. However, despite claims that the refinery would soon process 60,000 barrels of crude oil daily, production has yet to begin.
In March 2024, Mele Kyari announced that the refinery would begin operations within two weeks. Yet, by mid-August, no progress had been made, leading to further disappointment and skepticism among Nigerians.
The delays have sparked concerns not only about the refinery’s functionality but also about the billions of dollars that have been invested in its renovation.
The Nigerian government secured a $1.5 billion loan in March 2021 to modernize the refinery, a decision that faced criticism from various quarters, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who argued for the sale of government-owned refineries to private entities.
