Success Nwogu 
The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has said that over $4 billion has been spent on the rehabilitation of the nation’s refineries over time.
It added that the amount included funds approved and disbursed for the most recent turnaround maintenance and rehabilitation contracts.
It stated that in spite of this huge expenditure of taxpayers’ money, Nigerians had yet to see tangible results, according to it, raising serious questions about efficiency, accountability, and project delivery.
According to a statement on Wednesday by the National Public Relations Officer, PETROAN, Dr Joseph Obele, the group’s National President, Billy Gillis-Harry, also called on the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) to provide a definite, realistic and workable timeline for the revival of Nigeria’s refineries.
Nigeria’s refineries located in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna have a combined installed production capacity of 445,000 barrels per day: Port Harcourt Refinery has 210,000 barrels per day (BPD); Warri Refinery, 125,000 bpd and Kaduna Refinery, 110,000 bpd.
PETROAN decried that despite this substantial capacity, the refineries have remained largely non-operational for years.
According to the statement, stakeholders and Nigerians are therefore asking a simple but critical question: When will Nigeria’s refineries resume production?
It added that closely linked to this is the concern over what has become of the billions of dollars committed to their rehabilitation.
It also said that while the NNPC Ltd has announced that it is currently carrying out project appraisals and sourcing strategic partners, PETROAN insists that every serious project must be guided by a clear timeline with measurable milestones.
It added that Nigerians deserve to know exactly when these refineries will return to operation.
Gillis-Harry also expressed deep concern that Nigeria is fast approaching another election season.
He noted that governance and project execution often slow down during such periods, making it imperative that decisive action be taken within the first quarter of the year, ahead of the forthcoming election calendar.
He stated that the operationalisation of Nigeria’s refineries would significantly reduce the cost of petroleum products.
According to him, local refining will drastically cut importation, conserve foreign exchange, strengthen the naira, and create thousands of direct and indirect jobs across the petroleum value chain.
He reaffirmed PETROAN’s readiness to fully support the NNPC Ltd and the Federal Government in reviving all four refineries, noting that credible foreign technical and financial partners are on standby to collaborate toward achieving this national objective.
