Marketers, others slam NNPC over failed refineries’ rehabilitation, neglect

The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has accused Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, of neglecting the revival of the Port Harcourt refinery, which has remained idle since May 24, 2025.

PETROAN’s Zonal Chairman for System 2E (Eastern Zone), Sunny Nkpe, expressed concern over the “slow pace” of rehabilitation at the Old Port Harcourt Refinery (Area 5) during a visit last weekend. Nkpe alleged that Ojulari had yet to visit the site since assuming office four months ago and claimed contractors had been unpaid for more than a year, stalling completion of repairs on key cracking and blending units.

He warned that prolonged shutdowns were crippling livelihoods, with “thousands of tanker drivers and marketers out of work” and petroleum prices remaining unstable. Nkpe urged President Bola Tinubu to order immediate action, arguing that the facility was critical for supplying products to major cities in the South-East and North-Central regions.

Meanwhile, in a separate development, two northern socio-political groups — the Arewa Community for Empowerment and Development and the Arewa Consultative Youth Movement — have dragged NNPCL Chief Financial Officer, Dapo Segun, before the Federal High Court in Kaduna.

Segun, who previously served as Executive Vice President, Downstream, is accused of a “direct and supervisory role” in the stalled rehabilitation of the country’s refineries and the controversial acquisition of OVH Energy. The plaintiffs are seeking a court order compelling the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate, arrest, and prosecute Segun, and to temporarily remove him from office pending the outcome of the probe.

They allege that billions of dollars have been spent without results that would end Nigeria’s reliance on imported petroleum products, accusing the EFCC of applying “selective justice” by targeting former northern executives while “shielding” Segun.

Nigeria’s three state-owned refineries — in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna — have remained largely inactive for years despite multi-billion-dollar rehabilitation contracts. The Federal Government’s $1.5bn Port Harcourt project, announced in 2021, is yet to deliver operational capacity, forcing continued dependence on fuel imports even after partial market deregulation.

NNPCL has yet to respond to both sets of allegations, with the company still lacking an official spokesperson and listed contact numbers proving unreachable.