The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCLtd) was in a celebratory mood on Tuesday, November 26. The occasion was the resumption of product loading by tankers at the Port Harcourt Refinery, an event that attracted fanfare and significant media coverage.
The NNPC announced that the refinery is operating at 70% capacity, with plans to ramp up to 90% soon. The company also used the opportunity to criticize detractors who, according to them, fail to acknowledge its efforts.
Amid the media euphoria surrounding the purported successful overhaul and relaunch of the Port Harcourt Refinery after years of inactivity, a coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) under the aegis of the Coalition for Accountability and Transparency in the Energy Sector urged caution. The coalition argued that the NNPC merely converted the heritage refinery into a blending plant, despite the significant funds provided by the Federal Government for its rehabilitation.
However, just as the excitement was beginning to subside, a startling revelation was made on Thursday, November 29, during the Arise TV Morning Show. Ruben Abati and his team hosted stakeholders from the refinery’s host communities to verify the claims of the NNPC. The reactions from these stakeholders were telling.
One particularly notable contribution came from Timothy Mgbere, Secretary of the Alesa Stakeholders, representing the host community of the Port Harcourt Refinery. According to him, there is little to celebrate, even though the refinery is the economic backbone of Alesa. He asserted that the reality on the ground does not match the media spectacle witnessed on Tuesday.
Mgbere alleged that the NNPC, under pressure to demonstrate progress, staged a simulation of refinery functionality. He claimed that the so-called resumption of operations merely involved the release of a three-year-old stock to six tankers to create the illusion that the refinery is operational. He further revealed that despite claims of automation, it took the refinery the entire day to load just four trucks.
Such revelations raise serious concerns about the authenticity of the NNPC’s claims. It is imperative that independent professional audit experts evaluate the refinery to provide Nigerians with accurate information about its current refining capacity and operations.
*Dr. PAUL NWOSU*
Anambra Times
