Civil society groups in the country under the aegis of the National Civil Society Coalition, NCSC, has tasked a 50-man committee to investigate operations at the Port Harcourt refinery.
The development comes amidst recent reports to the effect that the refinery has broken down again after a whopping $1.5 billion was spent on turn-around maintenance by the federal government.
Some marketers who spoke on the issue last week said they have not been able to load petrol from the refinery, barely a month after the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL said operations have resumed.
Amidst the controversy surrounding the Port Harcourt refinery , the Dangote Petrochemical Refinery and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL have been locked in a petrol price war, following the decisions of the two companies to slash the the price of PMS also known as petrol to N899 per litre.
On November 26, the NNPCL claimed that the 60,000 barrel per day refinery has bounced back to life after years of inactivity amidts serious scepticism among not a few Nigerians about the claim.
The NNPCL, has however, issued a rebuttal saying the refinery is operational.
In its quest to ascertain what is actually going on at the refinery, NCSC said in a statement on Monday that the committee will visit the facility by next month to have an independent assessment.
The group applauded the efforts of the NNPCL at revamping the nation’s refineries, acknowledging its quest to achieve availability of petroleum products during the yultide in the country and beyond.
Part of the statement reads, “It would be recalled that NNPC Ltd, just a few days ago in a historic achievement, announced having exceeded its set profit projection for the year 2024. The firm declared a whooping N3.29 Trillion, the highest in its history so far.
“Nigerians desired functional Refineries to alleviate sufferings of the People occasioned by incessant scarcity of Petroleum Products, especially during the festive season, to which NNPCL and the PHRC have contributed immensely.
“It can be seen that across the country within this yuletide season, there is remarkable stability in supplies and distribution of Petroleum Products at stipulated prices, unlike previous years. This is a good testament to the leadership competence at the NNPCL, coupled with the functionality of the PHRC.
“Furthermore, NCSCN has perfected arrangements to lead a 50-man Strategic Stakeholders/Head of Civil Society Organizations on an Independent Assessment Visit to the PH Refinery in January 2025 to interact with the Management with a view to furnish the Citizenry with first-hand facts and figures concerning Production Capacity and Operational Records of the Refinery. The findings at this strategic Working Visit shall be made public globally for the avoidance of doubts by Nigerians and interest groups.”
Meanwhile, keen analysts in the energy sector insist that the decision to lower the price of petrol by Dangote and NNPLC is a welcome development as it will drive healthy competition in the sector, while the products will be readily available instead of the scarcity usually experienced by consumers during the festive period, to the benefit of the entire public.
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