Port Harcourt, Nigeria — Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) don announce say dem go shut down Port Harcourt Refining Company for one month for maintenance wey go start from Saturday, May 24, 2025. Dis maintenance na planned exercise to ensure say the refinery dey operate well.
Olufemi Soneye, wey be Chief Corporate Communications Officer for NNPC, confirm dis shutdown for statement wey dem release on Saturday. According to am, dem go dey work with all relevant stakeholders to ensure say di exercise dey transparent and efficient.
“NNPC Ltd wan inform di public say Port Harcourt Refining Company go dey undergo scheduled maintenance shutdown. Dis maintenance go start for May 24, 2025,” Soneye talk. He add say di company dey focused on delivering sustainable energy security for Nigeria.
Dis announcement come after some indigenous fuel retailers from Eleme, wey dey host di refinery, don raise alarm and accuse some officials say dem dey sabotage di refinery operations. Dem fear say dis shutdown fit lead to fuel scarcity and increase di cost of fuel for di country.
However, Soneye don reject dis claims of sabotage. He insist say di maintenance go follow global best practices and ensure say di refinery dey operate safely and sustainably. He also talk say dem get enough supply of products like AGO and kerosene to continue supply during di maintenance period.
“Make una sabi say di refinery still dey operational, but we plan to do critical safety maintenance exercise to make sure say di facility dey run well. Dis maintenance go last for about one month. We don prepare adequate volumes of AGO, kerosene, and other products for di period,” he said.
Meanwhile, di Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) don raise concerns say di refineries wey NNPC get no fit produce petrol well, as dem dey mainly produce naphtha. DAPPMAN Executive Secretary, Olufemi Adewole, talk say dem no go use Port Harcourt or Warri refineries for petrol because dem no dey produce am well.
“Di NNPC refineries, especially di revamped Port Harcourt Refinery, no dey optimally produce petrol yet. Dem dey produce naphtha only. Our members go prefer to buy from Dangote refinery, but if we no fit get product from there, we go import, as di PIA allow us,” Adewole explain.
In di past months, NNPC talk say di Port Harcourt refinery don resume operations after many years of inactivity, operating now at 70% of its capacity. Di refinery dey currently produce diesel, low pour fuel oil, and other outputs daily.
As di situation dey unfold, stakeholders don dey urge NNPC to find better way to communicate these changes and maintain transparency to avoid panic and confusion among di public. Dem also dey watch di response of NNPC closely as dem prepare for di shutdown.
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