Once again, Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), boasts that the near moribund Port Harcourt Refinery in Rivers State, will commence energy refining by the end of March 2024. But many observers are not excited because Kyari has been known as one whose assurances can only be taken with a pinch of salt
By Our Correspondent
The Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari has, once more, assured the Nigerian public that the Port Harcourt refinery will begin delivery of refined petroleum products in two weeks from Thursday, March 14, 2024.
The NNPCL CEO, Kyari said this on Thursday, March 14 at the National Assembly shortly after meeting with the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Turnaround Maintenance of the country’s four refineries.
He told the committee that the rehabilitation of the refinery had been completed, having passed its “completion mechanical” procedure. He added that the Warri refinery was almost ready too, while the one in Kaduna would be completed and ready to go into production in December this year.
Kyari: “The completion mechanically means that you are done with your rehabilitation work, now you are to test if this completion is okay.
“As for the Warri refinery, we have also completed the mechanical works on it and it is undergoing the regulatory compliance processes with our regulator. This will also be completed and will be ready soon.
“Kaduna will be ready by December. We have not reached the stage where Port Harcourt and Warri are with Kaduna.”
Kyari explained that there were no challenges with the pipelines to deliver crude to the refineries, as the existing lines were fully pressurised to deliver crude.
He added: “All crude lines are active and have actually delivered over 450,000 barrels into Port Harcourt refinery. “We are confident of its integrity. Yes, there may be security issues, but the government is responding to the situation.”
Kyari earlier met with the committee, which is chaired by Ifeanyi Ubah (Anambra-South). The committee said its members would conduct oversight tours of the sites to verify the state of readiness of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries and the extent of work done in Kaduna. Kyari and the committee agreed to liaise and agree on the dates to commence the oversight visits.
To Kyari, promise as with talk, is cheap, hence he does not require energy to utter promises about working refineries. Last year, he had given the same assurance that by December 2023, the Port Harcourt Refinery would commence refining activities. Kyari never came through with that promise. The expectation of many Nigerians on the local refinery may not be high because many believe Kyari was merely making another political statement.
