NNPCL Only Converted PH Refinery To Blending Plant For Imported Fuel – CSO Says

A civil society organization on the aegis of ‘Concerned Citizens of Nigeria,’ has challenged the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) over its claims that the Port Harcourt Refinery has commenced operations.

The organization told journalist at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, November 27, 2024 that the NNPC Ltd on succeeded in converting the refinery to a blending plant adding that company is also planning to sell substandard imported petrol to Nigerians as locally refined fuel.

It noted that the reported commencement of operations took place after shifts in dates on at least seven different occasions, stressing that NNPCL’s past ineptitude and unbridled corruption gave concerns that the so-called commencement of operations of the refinery has the markings of a fluke, a ruse designed to make Nigerians stop questioning the eternal deadlines that the organisation set.

CCN stressed that the NNPC Ltd has succeeded in making a bad situation worse by stage managing a resumption of production since it has now been established that it is not trucking out Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), better known as petrol, from its Port Harcourt Refinery.

The organization specifically said that some videos of NNPCL branded trucks that were used to announce that the refinery has resumed operations and started trucking out PMS were mere movie productions to mislead Nigerians.

National coordinator of the Concerned Citizens of Nigeria (CCN), comrade Mahmud Abdul, who led five others, said the NNPCL’s announcement of the commencement of operations of the Port Harcourt refinery was a ruse designed to deceive Nigerians.

Abdul noted that the corporation has been shifting deadlines for the completion of the refinery’s repairs, thereby leaving Nigerians to suffer from petrol shortages and high prices.

The CCN also said that NNPC Ltd’s plan to sell blended products will have a negative impact on engine performance and lifespan.

In the words of Abdul; “We are worried that NNPCL might have misled the country as it has yet to debunk a report that it bought ‘Cracked C5 petroleum resins’ and blended it with other products like Naphtha to sell to the Nigerian public as its own product.

“The Concerned Citizens of Nigeria are aware that the supposed commencement was first flown as a kite by certain media platforms quoting unnamed sources, which was purely a false flag operation to test the response of Nigerians.

“The formal speech to the media by the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPCL, Femi Soneye announcing the development was only made after the organisation’s top management concluded that there were limited reactions to their flown kite.

“Our analysis of this development advised us of two possibilities. The first is that the refinery would be stressed to run for a few weeks before the NNPCL and its Mele Kyari-led management saddle the country with a bill for further repairs. A failure to succumb to this blackmail will result in the facility again becoming moribund.

“A second possibility is that NNPCL has not repaired or restored the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) Limited to its heydays. This means that the refinery has been technically downgraded and retooled into a blending plant.

“Recall that Nigerians had warned that NNPCL would turn Port Harcourt Refinery into a blending plant. Such concerns were expressed as recently as two months ago in September when some groups faulted the alleged move to convert the Port Harcourt refinery into a blending plant.

“The feeler from this latest development has confirmed that this is exactly what is happening, as petroleum products imported into Nigeria by Kyari would now be sold to Nigerians as locally refined fuel.

“A true test of whether NNPCL will release petrol from the Port Harcourt Refinery into the market would be the pricing.

Mele Kyari’s NNPCL plans to sustain the current price band for petrol since that is the only way they can remain profitable from passing off imported substandard petrol as refined in Port Harcourt.”

CCN therefore challenged the Federal Government to investigate the matter and hold those found culpable to account