The Port Harcourt Refining Company, a key facility in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta, has been shut down for maintenance for over a month, with no clear timeline for resuming operations. The refinery, which began operations in 1965, was declared operational in November 2024 after years of inactivity but has faced challenges in sustaining production.
According to The PUNCH, Olufemi Soneye, the former Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), announced on May 24, 2025, that the refinery would undergo maintenance. However, more than a month later, the facility remains non-operational, with local petroleum marketers confirming that repair work is still ongoing. Efforts to reach NNPCL for updates were unsuccessful, as the company currently has no spokesperson, and contact attempts via phone and email yielded no response.
EFCC Investigation into Refinery Rehabilitation Funds
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is investigating the costs associated with the refinery’s turnaround maintenance. Reports indicate that Umar Isa, a former Chief Financial Officer of NNPCL, was arrested on Monday in connection with an alleged $7.2 billion fraud tied to the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries. The EFCC is probing the disbursement of $1.5 billion for Port Harcourt, $740 million for Kaduna, and $657 million for Warri.
A senior EFCC official revealed that Isa, along with other key officials, including Tunde Bakare (Managing Director, Warri Refinery), Ahmed Adamu Dikko, and Ibrahim Monday Onoja (former Managing Directors, Port Harcourt Refinery), are under investigation for alleged abuse of office, corruption, and diversion of public funds. The former Managing Director of the Warri refinery has also been detained.
Refinery’s Brief Resumption and Promises
In November 2024, former NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer Mele Kyari announced the resumption of operations at the Port Harcourt refinery, which has a 60,000-barrel-per-day capacity. The refurbished facility, equipped with modern upgrades, was said to operate at 70% capacity, producing 1.5 million litres of diesel and 2.1 million litres of Pour Fuel Oil daily, alongside 1.4 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), 900,000 litres of kerosene, and 2.1 million litres of low-pour fuel oil. The NNPCL projected a daily release of 200 trucks of petrol to the Nigerian market.
However, just six months later, the refinery was shut down again for maintenance expected to last one month. This timeframe has since been exceeded without updates from NNPCL. Similarly, the Warri refinery, reopened in December 2024, was shut down a month later and remains non-operational. The NNPCL’s April 2025 performance report noted that the status of all three refineries is “under review.”
Calls for Privatisation and PETROAN’s Demands
The prolonged shutdowns and the $2.4 billion spent on the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries have fueled calls from the Organised Private Sector and oil marketers for their immediate privatisation. The Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has argued that the maintenance process must include a PMS blending unit, stating that the crude oil cracking process is ineffective without it. PETROAN also noted that the 30-day repair timeline was insufficient.
Fuel Marketers Protest Diesel Price Hikes
On Tuesday, members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) protested at the Port Harcourt refinery over sharp increases in diesel prices. The price reportedly rose from N930 to N980 and then to N1,130 per litre within a week. Marketers demanded that NNPCL honor the original N980/litre rate or refund their payments, citing the presence of old diesel stocks in the refinery’s tanks. IPMAN leaders and refinery officials have escalated the issue to NNPCL’s headquarters in Abuja, urging calm among protesters.
A History of Delays
The Port Harcourt refinery faced multiple delays before its November 2024 reopening, with seven postponements between December 2023 and September 2024. Despite promises from Kyari to reopen the Kaduna and new Port Harcourt refineries, these commitments remain unfulfilled following his exit as GCEO, as directed by President Bola Tinubu.
As the refinery’s downtime continues, residents and businesses in Port Harcourt await clarity on when this critical facility will resume full operations, amid growing frustration and scrutiny over its management.
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