The Port Harcourt Refining Company is set to shut down to undergo a maintenance exercise that could last for one full month.
Some retailers recently said that the facility was closed down on Thursday night, even though the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited said the plant was still operational as of Friday.
Fuel retailers and Okrika, the communities hosting the Port Harcourt refinery, have since rejected plans to shut the refinery down. According to them, the refinery coordinator, Bayo Adenrele, ordered the shutdown of the facility for reasons only he knows about.
Speaking through a press statement, jointly signed by its Board of Trustees Chairman, Sunny Nkpe; the BoT Secretary, Emmanuel Inimgba; the Administrative Secretary and spokesman of PETROAN, Dr Joseph Obele; the group alleged that some persons were making efforts to destroy the revamped 60,000 barrel-per-day-capacity refinery.
“We, the Host Community Petroleum Bulk Retailers of Port Harcourt Refinery Depot, are compelled to expose the sinister actions of the refinery coordinator, who is acting as an agent of a private refinery. His actions are deliberately designed to cripple the Port Harcourt refinery, denying it crude oil and shutting it down.
As we speak, the old Port Harcourt refinery has initiated the process of shutting down on the directives of Engr. Bayo, the retailers told our correspondent,” it read.
The marketers believe that the shutdown of the refinery would give market dominance to a private refinery, which would immediately lead to increased fuel prices in Nigeria to further escalate the current economic hardship faced by Nigerians.
They insisted that they would not hesitate to hold the coordinator responsible if a fuel crisis erupted after the shutdown of the facility.
“Furthermore, Engr. Bayo’s actions have been marked by a consistent disregard for the rights and interests of the host communities. During the rehabilitation process, he denied our communities their rightful benefits, including contracts, empowerment opportunities, and the sale of scraps,
The actions of Engr Bayo have hindered the completion of the CRU of the old refinery plant, and his activities are slowing down efforts to make Area 1, 2, and 3 plants of the new refinery fully operational. We fear that the planned shutdown will also lead to the disengagement of our sons and daughters who are currently working on the O&M of the refinery.
We wish to make it clear that the host community and critical stakeholders will not fold their arms and allow this refinery to rot away after the government’s efforts to revive it. We will resist, with all vigor, through all available legal means, any push against the functionality of the refinery. We will not stand idly by while he prioritises private interests over the welfare of Nigerians.
A permanent MD will bring stability and direction, ensuring the refinery’s revival and contributing to the nation’s economic growth,” the statement read.
The group then reached out to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri and the Group Chief Executive of the NNPC, Bayo Ojulari, to intervene as soon as possible.
“We demand swift action to address this sabotage and protect the interests of Nigerians,” it added.
