Port-Harcourt Refinery: Oil Producing Communities Knock NNPCL For Deceiving Nigerians, Demand Mele Kyari's Sacking

The Network of Oil Producing Communities in Nigeria (NOPCN) has scolded the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) for allegedly misleading the President and Nigerians about the operation of the Port-Harcourt refinery.

According to the group, in a statement on Sunday jointly signed by its President, Igeniwari Edward, and Comrade Omototsho Ogbe, the petroleum products loaded from the newly rehabilitated refinery were not freshly refined but rather "dead stocks" left in the storage tank since 2016. 

Corroborating the comments of the Secretary of the Alesa Community Stakeholders, Timothy Mgbere, the Network claims that the NNPCL evacuated the dead stocks into waiting trucks, making it seem like the refinery was producing freshly refined products.

The NOPCN criticised the NNPCL for shutting down the refinery sooner than claimed, stating that they "ran out of lies" and couldn't deceive the President any further. 

The group also called for the removal of the NNPCL's Group Chief Executive Officer, Mallam Mele Kyari, for his alleged role in misleading the President and Nigerians.

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The statement partly read: "It also doesn't surprise us that the NNPCL shut down the refinery sooner than they claimed it was operating. That's because they ran out of lies and couldn't cajole the President any further.

"Kyari should be so sober right now and I believe he is already aware that the much celebrated 60,000 capacity segment of the refinery they claimed to have rehabilitated was shut down 2 days ago and no activity is happening there any longer.

"The President should not wait any further before he sacks Mele Kyari and all his accomplices in this national monumental trick they pulled on Nigerians on Tuesday."

The group stated that Kyari should not only be sacked but should be compelled to tell Nigerians what happened to over N17 trillion injected into the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries.

"Nigerians should also join our Network to say no to conversion of any of the refineries to a blending plant. We all know the environmental degredation our people having been facing over oil exploration and bunkering activities. We don't want any further hazard on our land. Kyari should just deliver exactly what the government paid for and stop fighting our leaders in the host communities," the statement read.

Chief Mgbere, Secretary to Alesa Community Stakeholders Forum, had appeared on a national television show on Thursday, alleging that the Port Harcourt refinery only loaded six trucks on Tuesday, despite stating that 200 trucks would be picked up from the refinery daily, adding that the many trucks parked within the premises were tucked up with dead stock and off-spec of old products.

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Alesa, one of the 10 major communities in Eleme, Rivers State, is the host community of the Port-Harcourt Refinery.

SaharaReporters had exclusively reported on Saturday that the NNPCL had shut down operation "at the moment" with only its non-petroleum unit running which is the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU).

The report had said CDU produces naphtha, kerosene and diesel but cannot produce the component which is needed for the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise known as petrol. 

"The Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) is still running but the operation of the depot is shut down at the moment. The CDU produces naphtha, diesel and Kerosene but cannot produce the component for the production of PMS.

"All these products cannot serve the masses as the production of these products are in small quantities even if the plant runs at 100% throughput. The processing plant of 150,000bpd capacity will commence operations in 2026; that is if money is made readily available to meet the timelines because at the moment the project has exceeded $2billion," a top official of the agency had told SaharaReporters. 

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