Barely a month after its much-celebrated resumption of production, the Port Harcourt Refinery has come to a halt, leaving stakeholders and citizens questioning its operational capacity.
A visit by *Saturday PUNCH* on December 19, 2024, revealed that the lifting of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) had ceased since December 13, with the refinery’s 18-arm loading bay deserted. Tanker trucks, usually lined up for loading, were parked idly along the road and in the refinery’s parking yard.
#### $1.5 Billion Rehabilitation Under Scrutiny
The facility’s shutdown comes just weeks after the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), Mele Kyari, inaugurated the 60,000-barrel-per-day production capacity plant on November 26, 2024. The rehabilitation, which cost $1.5 billion and began in March 2021, was hailed as a milestone for Nigeria’s downstream sector.
During the inauguration, only a handful of trucks loaded petrol, contrary to claims of significant output. Stakeholders have since alleged that the petrol lifted that day was old stock from the storage tanks, not newly refined products.
#### Persistent Operational Challenges
The refinery had briefly resumed product lifting two weeks ago, with its Managing Director, Ibrahim Onoja, leading journalists on a tour. Onoja emphasized that extensive upgrades, including new equipment, had been completed, promising improved operations.
However, the optimism was short-lived. By December 13, operations had halted, and tanker drivers were left waiting without clear communication. A driver lamented, “It’s been a week since we last loaded, and nobody is telling us anything.”
Petroleum marketer Mr. Dappa Jubobaraye criticized the state of the refinery, alleging it was merely a facade to mislead Nigerians. “The inauguration was a show. They only loaded a few trucks to create the impression of functionality,” he said, adding that only three of the 18 loading arms were operational and leaking.
#### Call for Transparency
Stakeholders have called on the NNPC to address the persistent issues plaguing the refinery. The lack of calibrated loading meters, limited functional loading arms, and unavailability of kerosene and diesel have left many questioning the refinery’s viability.
Efforts to reach NNPC spokesperson Femi Soneye for comments were unsuccessful.
