The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, has said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, should account for and explain to Nigerians why its Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries are not producing petroleum products.
He made this disclosure on Tuesday in an interview with
Channels Television.
According to him, a brief from the Group Chief Executive
Officer of NNPCL, Bayo Ojulari, showed that the state-owned refineries are not
producing refined petroleum products after gulping between N23.84 trillion and
N33.11 trillion on turnaround maintenance over the past two decades.
“The last brief I got from the GCEO [Bayo Ojulari] is that
it’s very unfortunate that the Port Harcourt refinery, Warri refinery and
Kaduna refinery are not producing today.
“But new partnerships are being negotiated with some Chinese
companies to come and invest their money and see how they can rehabilitate.”
When asked if those who deceived Nigerians into believing
that the refineries were working should be punished, Lokpobiri said, “Call
NNPC, tell them to come and account for it. I will tell them to come. Let them
come and explain.”
His comments came as Nigerians buy petrol for between N1,395
and N1,450 per litre in Abuja and its environs, worsening the cost of living.
Recall that the NNPCL, under its former Group Chief
Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, announced the restart of operations at the Port
Harcourt Refinery on November 26, 2024. However, on May 24, 2025, the plant was
shut down.
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