Isaac Ombe, Yenagoa
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, has visited the WalterSmith Petroman Refinery at Ibigwe, Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State, saying that the Federal Government would continue to hold NNPC Ltd responsible for the timeline announced to Nigerians on the planned resumption of production at the Port Harcourt Refining Company in December 2023.
Lokpobiri spoke, while inspecting the 5,000bpd capacity WalterSmith Petroman Refinery, at Ibigwe, on Tuesday.
He said that the ongoing rehabilitation of the nation’s four refineries was not directly under his purview, but that of NNPC Ltd.
He reiterated that the federal government will continue to hold NNPC Ltd responsible for the timeline announced to Nigerians.
Recall, the federal government in August 2023 had announced that the Port Harcourt refinery will commence operations in December 2023, while rehabilitation works were in top gear to ensure that both Warri and Kaduna refineries resume operations by end of 2024.
The Minister made the announcement of December 2023, following the presentation made to him by the management team of NNPC Ltd and called on Nigerians to be patient as he was pushing for the December timeline announced by the nation-owned oil company.
“You know I have been in the office for just three months, the NNPC team told me that the Port Harcourt refinery will be ready by December, I went there I saw that they are working and they are still working. I was meant to be there in the next few days but I have rescheduled it because I’m not going to be around, as I will be going for OPEC, when I come back I am going to be there.
“But there are three phases in the Port Harcourt refinery. The phase one, which is Area V, from the presentation made to me, I am going to hold them (NNPC Ltd) accountable for the dates which they have given Nigerians.
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“They told me the first phase will be ready by December; few weeks ago I actually met with them and they said the first phase will be ready by December, so let us wait till December when the fuel start coming up everybody will see it.
“I want to make it very clear that I am not the one who is rehabilitating the refineries, the NNPC which is the national oil company is the body responsible for the rehabilitation of the refinery even before I came and I’m pushing them because of the importance of refineries in the country to ensure that they meet the timelines.
“Let’s have the first phase working, then the second and the third phase will work at the end of next year and that is what they are doing, and I am holding them accountable. I am holding them responsible for these timelines they have said. So, if you asked how possible the dates are, I’m not the one responsible I can only tell you that work is ongoing. We are still holding them for those dates that they have given.”