Nigerians Express Doubt as Government Makes Another Promise on Port Harcourt Refinery

Nigerians are once again expressing skepticism following the latest announcement that the Port Harcourt Refinery will become operational within four weeks. The news, delivered by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) on Thursday, August 8, has been met with widespread doubt given the history of unfulfilled promises regarding the refinery’s launch.

The IPMAN National Operations Controller, Zarma Mustapha, shared in a televised interview that the refinery is expected to supply between 10 to 12 million liters of petrol daily, significantly boosting the nation’s energy supply. Mustapha emphasized that the refinery would operate independently, selling fuel at market prices with minimal government interference.

“There is this understanding that the Port Harcourt Refinery is going to perform independently and sell at whatever prevailing market price for them to recover their cost,” Mustapha said, expressing confidence that the August deadline would be met.

However, this announcement has been met with widespread skepticism among Nigerians, who have grown weary of similar promises that have repeatedly failed to materialize. Over the years, various government officials and agencies have announced impending operational dates for the refinery, only for those deadlines to pass without any progress.

For instance, earlier this year, Nigerians were told that the refinery would start operations by December 2023, a promise made by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri. However, the deadline came and went without any action, leaving many citizens disillusioned.

The pattern continued in March 2024 when the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, assured Nigerians that the refinery would be operational within two weeks. Despite the announcement and subsequent assurances, the refinery remained non-operational as the promised deadline passed.

Given this history, many Nigerians view the latest promise with suspicion. Some see it as yet another attempt to placate the public with false hopes, while others, though doubtful, are willing to give the government the benefit of the doubt.

Alhaji Yerima Shettima, President of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), urged the government to be more sincere with its promises. “The problem with the promise is just that we have a government that speaks from both sides of the mouth, and previous promises have come and gone without fulfillment,” Shettima said.

Public affairs analyst Nze Ezeocha echoed similar sentiments, recalling previous assurances that never came to fruition. “This is the fourth time that the NNPCL and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources are telling Nigerians that the PH Refinery would be operational in weeks. And at the end of the day, nothing would come out of it,” Ezeocha remarked.

Dr. Pogu Bitrus, President of the Middle Belt Forum (MBF), and legal practitioner IK Onodi, also voiced their doubts, stressing that the government should focus on delivering tangible results rather than making empty promises.

As Nigerians await the next few weeks to see if the refinery will indeed become operational, the prevailing mood is one of cautious pessimism. Many citizens have heard similar promises before, and without concrete action, trust in the government’s assurances remains low. The government now faces the challenge of proving its credibility and delivering on a promise that has been made—and broken—many times before.