From Tony John, Port Harcourt
Host communities of the Port Harcourt Refinery in Eleme and Okrika, Rivers State, have condemned the refinery’s 30-day maintenance shutdown, alleging it is a plot to create a monopoly for a private refinery.
Speaking at a media briefing in Port Harcourt, the Host Community Bulk Petroleum Retailers Association demanded that the maintenance timeline not be exceeded.
The group praised President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to revive Nigeria’s refineries but called for the immediate removal of Bayo Aderenle, the refinery coordinator, accusing him of sabotaging the president’s reform agenda. They also urged consistent crude oil supply to the refinery, vowing to monitor allocations to prevent disruptions amid fears of crude being diverted abroad.
Chief Sunny Nkpe, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, warned that exceeding the 30-day timeline could lead to artificial product scarcity. “As we speak, nothing is happening in the refinery,” he said. “We are requesting that the Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr Bayo Ojulari, appoint a new managing director to the refinery, so that the rehabilitation can continue and set goals can be achieved.” He added, “Shutting down the refinery is something we fear may be permanent. If this refinery is shut down for 30 days, it would tremendously affect the market price and Nigerians will suffer.”
The group expressed confidence in Tecnimont, the company handling the maintenance, and called for sufficient funding and timely disbursements to ensure project completion. Other executives, including Joseph Obele, Administrative Secretary and PETROAN National Public Relations Officer, Tekena Ikpaiki, IPMAN Port Harcourt Chairman, and Emmanuel Inimgba, BoT Secretary, echoed fears of a monopoly. Obele noted, “We fear that the recent shutdown of the old Port Harcourt Refinery could be an orchestrated way to give a monopoly to a particular refinery.” He added, “Nigerians should understand that this recent shutdown could be an orchestrated way to give a monopoly to a particular private refinery; and if that happens, Nigerians will buy fuel close to N2,000 per litre.”
Ikpaiki warned, “If this reserve has been depleted, on what product would the nation leverage on? So, we all came out today, to say if they said it is 30 days maintenance, they should try to stay within the date limit, because beyond this time there may be artificial scarcity in town that will affect the marketers and the entire nation at large.”
The communities commended Ibrahim Onoja’s team for their work on the refinery and Hubb Stockman’s community initiatives at NNPC Retail Limited. Eleme and Okrika vowed to resist any attempts to undermine their development.