The Port Harcourt Refining Company has been shut down for the second month due to scheduled maintenance plans.
According to reports from the PUNCH, the immediate past Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Olufemi Soneye, told our correspondent on May 23 that the refinery would be shut down for maintenance.
On May 24, Soneye issued an official statement, announcing the shutdown of the refinery for maintenance. However, more than one month later, the refinery has yet to start producing fuel.
Local petroleum marketers, who had once expressed their concerns over the shutdown of the facility, told our correspondent that the repair work was still ongoing. Our correspondent reports that the NNPC did not have a spokesperson as of the time of filing this report.
Efforts were made to contact the state-owned firm through the phone number and email address displayed on its website, but to no avail. The Port Harcourt refinery’s cost of turnaround maintenance is currently being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
It was widely reported that operatives of the EFCC on Monday arrested a former Chief Financial Officer of the NNPC, Umar Isa, in connection with an alleged $7.2bn fraud linked to the rehabilitation of the Kaduna, Warri, and Port Harcourt refineries.
It was earlier reported that the EFCC was probing the disbursement of $1.5bn allocated to the Port Harcourt refinery, $740m released for the Kaduna refinery, and $657m approved for the Warri refinery.
A top official in the agency had disclosed on Monday that Isa was being investigated for alleged abuse of office, corruption, and other offences.
“As CFO, Ajiya oversaw the release of funds for the turnaround maintenance of the three refineries. All key officials involved in the maintenance and other major NNPCL projects are also under investigation for alleged abuse of office, corruption, diversion of public funds, and kickbacks from contractors.
“Other officials involved are Tunde Bakare, MD, Warri Refinery; Ahmed Adamu Dikko, former MD, Port Harcourt Refinery; and Ibrahim Monday Onoja, former MD, Port Harcourt Refinery,” the source was quoted.
It was also learnt that the former Managing Director of the Warri refinery was detained by the anti-graft agency.
Recall that the Port Harcourt refinery was declared operational by the former Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC, Mele Kyari, in November 2024, after years of inactivity.
Then, the NNPC said the 60,000-capacity refinery had resumed operations after years of inactivity. It said the newly rehabilitated complex of the old Port Harcourt refinery, which had been revamped and upgraded with modern equipment, was operating at a refining capacity of 70 per cent of its installed capacity.
The company added that diesel and Pour Fuel Oil would be the highest output from the refinery, with a daily capacity of 1.5 million litres and 2.1 million litres, respectively.
