“What Happened at Port Harcourt Refinery Was Just a Mere Show to Deceive Nigerians” – Host Community Secretary

The Alesa community, host to the Port Harcourt refinery, has challenged claims by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) about the facility’s operations. Timothy Mgbere, Secretary of the Alesa community stakeholders, revealed in a recent Arise TV interview that the petroleum products loaded from the refinery were not newly refined but drawn from old stock stored at the facility for three years.

According to Mgbere, the refinery only loaded six trucks of product on Tuesday, far from the NNPCL’s publicized figure of 200 trucks per day. He described the event as a “mere show,” suggesting the activity was staged to give the impression that the refinery was fully operational.

Mgbere stated, “The old Port Harcourt refinery, referred to as Area Five, is operating at a skeletal level. Some units have been brought online, but the facility as a whole is not functional. While it is commendable that some progress has been made, it is misleading to claim that the refinery is producing at full capacity or delivering 1.4 million barrels per day.”

He added that the stock loaded on Tuesday came from storage tanks servicing the old refinery and had been held for over three years. The activity was televised as though it represented fresh production, which Mgbere called untrue.

SK Blog had reported that NNPCL was not trucking out Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from the refinery, contrary to its claims. According to sources, the company instead purchased “Cracked C5 petroleum resins” from Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals Limited and blended them with Naphtha to produce a marketable product. These activities were allegedly misrepresented as evidence of the refinery’s full operation.

The Port Harcourt refinery, specifically its older 60,000 barrels-per-day unit, is currently incapable of producing PMS, according to insiders. Only diesel is reportedly being produced, with the PMS-producing segment yet to commence operations.

In response to the allegations, the NNPCL acknowledged blending activities but framed them as standard procedure, dismissing the controversy as a witch-hunt. However, Mgbere emphasized the need for transparency, urging Nigerians to understand the true state of the refinery’s operations.