Marketer and former aviation minister Femi Fani-Kayode has described the resurrection of the Port Harcourt Refinery as one of the most encouraging things that has happened in the petroleum sector for many years.
They said President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) deserve applause for the feat.
Fani-Kayode, however, regretted that some elements in the private sector who are new in the field were doing all they could to undermine and understate this great victory for Nigeria and urged the NNPC to take more active steps to ensure other refineries are working so that Nigerians will have cause to smile again.
“Every optimistic and true lover of Nigeria’s progress and President Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda must be proud of the GMD Mele Kyari. His tenacity, bravery, ingenuity and forthrightness has been rewarded with this great feat. “Surely this is hope renewed for Nigerians.” Fani-Kayode said.
The marketers uner the aegis of Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has dismissed rumours that the resuscitated Port Harcourt refinery is not functioning.
“The National Headquarters of PETROAN is compelled to set the records straight.
“WE state emphatically that the Old Port Harcourt refinery is functional and producing refined Petroleum products at the moment.” Dr Joseph Obele, spokesman of the association said.
LEADERSHIP reports that on Tuesday the top management of NNPC Ltd led by Engr Mele Kyari took stakeholders and journalists to the plant for first-hand information.
The old Port Harcourt refinery is currently operating at 70 per cent of its installed capacity, with plans to ramp up to 90 per cent.
This is contrary to speculations that the revamped refinery is a mere blending plant and unproductive as circulated by most naysayer, said Obele.
Obele went further to say, “As part of PETROAN’s oversight function as key stakeholders, we have direct access to the plant on the authorization of management and we will encourage whoever is doubting the functional status of the plant to contact NNPC management for facility tour rather than spreading misleading information.”
He added, “It is more important to state here that the functional plant at operation is the old refinery with the capacity of 60,000 barrels per day, while the new port Harcourt refinery with the capacity of 200,000 barrels per day is still under rehabilitation which is due to commence production soon as announced by the management of NNPCL.”
Both Refineries are within the same complex at Alesa Eleme in Rivers State The old Port Harcourt refinery which was built in the year 1965 stopped production over 21 years ago, while the new Port Harcourt refinery stopped production in the year 2019.
