The much-celebrated resumption of operations at the Port Harcourt Refining Company earlier this week has been met with skepticism, as Friday’s inspection by Saturday PUNCH revealed a startling lack of activity.
Despite promises of bustling production, the refinery remains a ghost town, leaving Nigerians with dashed hopes and growing concerns.
On Tuesday, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, inaugurated what was touted as a revamped Area 5 terminal of the refinery.
Reports claimed that up to 200 petrol trucks were being loaded daily. However, insiders have alleged that the trucks carried "dead stock" residual products stored prior to the refinery’s 2015/2016 shutdown.
A visit to the refinery on Friday painted a grim picture. Trucks stood idle, workers loitered, and the loading bays were eerily empty.
An anonymous refinery worker disclosed that the products being loaded were off-spec fuel separated from water, a process far removed from expectations of a high-tech operation.
“What they are trying to do at the Port Harcourt Refinery is manual, which cannot match the new digital pumps,” the worker revealed, highlighting that even the pumps used during Tuesday’s inauguration were refurbished.
Another insider explained that ongoing calibration and tank cleaning were delaying full operations. “They are de-watering, removing water under the PMS,” one worker noted.
The announcement of resumed activities had sparked optimism, with stakeholders like the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria expressing confidence in the refinery's revival. However, the apparent inactivity has cast a shadow over such assurances.
A resident of Eleme, Osaro, expressed frustration: “After the ceremony with Mele Kyari, it’s just newspaper headlines and social media noise. On-ground, there’s nothing happening.”
The NNPC has refuted claims of inactivity, branding accusations as misinformed. Spokesperson Olufemi Soneye asserted that both the old and new Port Harcourt refineries are integrated and functional, dismissing allegations as “sheer mischief.”
Yet, the Senate Committee on Petroleum’s visit to the facility on Thursday has added to the intrigue, with no findings released as of press time.
As calibration drags on and skepticism deepens, Nigerians await tangible results from the refinery, a symbol of hope for energy independence. For now, the promises of production remain as elusive as the activity at the refinery itself.