Aduragbemi Omiyale
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The federal government has assured Nigerians that the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) Limited plant in Rivers State should begin operations by December 2023.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources in charge of oil, Mr Heineken Lokpobiri, gave this assurance on Friday when he checked the progress of the facility’s rehabilitation.
The immediate past administration of Mr Muhammadu Buhari had approved the overhaul of the refinery and the others in the country to stop the importation of petroleum products.
Yesterday, the Minister, in what seems to be his first major outing since he was sworn in as Minister on Monday, said considering the level of progress recorded in the PHRC rehabilitation project, the plant will come back on stream by December this year.
In a statement issued by the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the NNPC, Mr Garba Deen Muhammad, the Minister assured that, “Our objective in coming here today is to ensure that in the next few years, Nigeria stops fuel importation.
“From what we have seen here today, Port Harcourt Refinery will come on board by the end of the year, Warri will come on stream by the end of the first quarter of next year, and Kaduna will also come on board towards the end of next year.
“If you add that to the Dangote Refinery, we will be able to stop fuel importation, and Nigerians will enjoy the full benefits of deregulation.”
Also speaking, Mr Lokpobiri’s counterpart for gas, Mr Ekperikpe Ekpo, said, “We are here to go into the field. Yesterday was the era of subsidies. Today, we don’t have subsidies. Today, people are desperate to heave a sigh of relief and see how to live.
“You all know that petrol is very vital to our economy. All hands must be on deck to ensure the refineries work.”
Earlier, the Group chief executive of NNPC, Mr Mele Kyari, said bringing back the refineries to their optimal levels is a national aspiration, and the Company remains focused on delivering that.
“We are aware of our nation’s challenges in terms of fuel supply. But we are not here to give excuses. We are focused on delivering this rehabilitation project, our two other refineries, and all other investments towards revamping the nation’s refining capacity. We are hopeful that in 2024, this country will be a net exporter of petroleum products,” Mr Kyari stated.
