Marketers Demand Action From FG, NNPC as Port Harcourt Refinery Fails to Resume Operations
- Petroleum traders have blamed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) for the prolonged closure of the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC)
- Chief Sunny Nkpe, the PETROAN Eastern Zonal Chairman, criticised the NNPC’s lack of action and highlighted the refinery’s importance in stabilising fuel prices
- He called on both the NNPC GCEO and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to prioritise the reopening of the refinery and address the delays caused by special interests
Legit.ng journalist Zainab Iwayemi has 5-year-experience covering the Economy, Technology, and Capital Market.
Petroleum commodity traders have accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) of being responsible for the ongoing shutdown of the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC).
Source: Getty Images
The refinery has been closed for 79 days following planned maintenance that started on May 24, 2025.
Originally scheduled for a 30-day repair period, the refinery's extended closure has caused serious financial hardship for bulk retailers and petroleum marketers who rely on its operations.
In order to improve the refinery's long-term performance and efficiency, the NNPC initiated the shutdown for planned maintenance and a sustainability evaluation.
However, Leadershp reported that the prolonged outage, which now exceeds two and a half months, has been attributed by marketers to delays in restarting the refinery and the claimed non-mobilisation of contractors.
The marketers, speaking on behalf of the Petroleum Retail Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), criticised the Port Harcourt Refinery's sluggish restoration efforts.
Chief Sunny Nkpe, the PETROAN Eastern Zonal Chairman, told reporters shortly after a tour of the refinery that he was concerned that Engineer Bashir Bayo Ojulari, the current group chief executive officer of NNPCL, had not yet made a physical visit to the Port Harcourt Refinery in his four months in office.
According to Nkpe, Ojulari's behaviour demonstrated a lack of enthusiasm for the operation of the Port Harcourt Refinery.
As agreed upon in the stakeholders' forum, he said he would travel to Abuja to inform other stakeholders and rally them around the next course of action.
The PETROAN Zonal Chairman said, “I am travelling to Abuja to notify other stakeholders and mobilize them on the next line of action, as agreed in the stakeholders’ forum. The contractors lamented that they have been owed for over 12 months without funding.”
Source: Getty Images
Nkpe emphasised that the start of operations at the refinery in Port Harcourt will stabilise petroleum product prices and lessen the power of private refineries.
He said, “The Port Harcourt refinery is key to the supply chain distribution of petroleum products all over Nigeria, supplying major cities like Aba, Enugu, Makurdi, and other key states."
As a result, the Zonal Chairman urged the NNPC GCEO to give the Port Harcourt refinery first priority.
Additionally, he urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take prompt action to revive the Port Harcourt Refinery, claiming that such needless delays are the result of special interests trying to undermine Tinubu's agenda.
NNPC increases petrol price again
Legit.ng reported that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has again raised its petrol pump price.
Checks showed that in Lagos, NNPC retail outlets are dispensing fuel at N895 per litre on Friday, August 8, 2025.
Petroleumprice.ng said dealers have already been informed of the new price adjustment, the third in just a few days.
Source: Legit.ng
