Mele Kyari has affirmed that the Port Harcourt refinery is scheduled to commence operations in December 2023. This announcement came during his meeting with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, on Thursday, November 23.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited provided an update on the ongoing rehabilitation of state-run refineries. He declared that by December 2024, Nigeria would cease petrol imports, emphasizing a commitment to the refinery rehabilitation timeline. Kyari outlined the schedule, stating that the Port Harcourt refinery would start by the end of December 2023, followed by the Warri refinery in the early first quarter of 2024, and the Kaduna refinery by the end of 2024.
Kyari expressed confidence in these initiatives, including the rehabilitation of refineries, efforts of small-scale refineries, and the forthcoming Dangote refinery. He projected that Nigeria would become a net exporter of petroleum products in 2024, eliminating the need for fuel imports.
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Meanwhile, Tajudeen Abbass advocated for the privatization of refineries, contending that certain businesses are better suited for private management. He urged Kyari and the management to explore multi-dimensional uses for refineries to ensure sustainability, emphasizing the need for privatization. Abbass highlighted the inefficiencies of government-run refineries and predicted that the inadequacies would become more evident with the competition brought about by the Dangote refinery.
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In August 2023, the National Assembly announced a probe into the alleged N11.3 trillion expenditure by the Federal Government on Nigeria’s refineries’ turn-around maintenance between 2010 and 2020. The House of Representatives Committee Chairman on Public Accounts expressed concern over the deplorable state of the refineries despite significant expenditures on maintenance over the past decade.
It is noteworthy that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited plans to supply the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote oil refinery with up to six shipments of crude oil in December for testing, as part of a one-year agreement.
