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Nigerians have been waiting for ages to see fuel production finally kick off at the Port Harcourt refinery, but it looks like we’re left with another delay. Again.
After being delayed six times before this moment in time by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) they had assured us that activities would kick off by September 2024 at the latest.. Here we are now, at the tail end of September with no fuel output to be seen. What a shock not!
This is despite countless reassurances from the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the NNPC that everything was on track. The refinery was meant to be up and running by early August according to NNPC’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari. That didn’t happen. Then came another promise in August, with the Chief Financial Officer, Umar Ajiya, telling us petroleum products would be ready for testing in September. Here we are in October, and all we’ve gotten is silence.
Journalists have been chasing updates, but it’s been radio silence from NNPC’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye. Several inquiries were sent out in late September, but so far, no response. However, Maire Tecnimont SpA, the contractor handling the refinery’s rehabilitation, has indicated they’ll provide an update on or before October 2, 2024. Fingers crossed, I guess.
But seriously, this isn’t the first time Nigerians have been left hanging. Since December 2023, we’ve heard multiple deadlines from the NNPC, each one more elusive than the last. At this point, it’s understandable if the public has lost faith in these promises.
So, what’s the real issue here? Will the Port Harcourt refinery ever kick back into action, or are we destined for more delays and disappointments? Feel free to drop your thoughts let’s get a conversation going about what’s really happening behind the scenes.