NNPCL Hits Back at Rivers Community Leader Over Refinery Claims

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has swiftly rejected claims made by Timothy Mgbere, a leader from Alesa community in Rivers State, who accused the company of misleading Nigerians about the operational status of the Port Harcourt refinery.

Mgbere had appeared on national television, alleging that the refinery was not producing fuel despite the NNPCL’s claims.

In a detailed response issued on Friday, NNPCL spokesperson Olufemi Soneye vehemently dismissed Mgbere’s remarks, describing them as ignorant and misleading.

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“If not for the need to set the record straight, we would not have dignified such an ill-informed statement,” Soneye remarked.

He explained that Mgbere’s assertion that the old Port Harcourt refinery was only “skeletally operating” was false.

Soneye elaborated that both the old and new Port Harcourt refineries had been integrated into a single operational unit with a shared terminal for product load-out, common utilities like power, and storage tanks.

This means that products from both refineries can be processed and transported using the same facilities.

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He also refuted Mgbere’s claim about the loading gantries, clarifying that products from the old refinery can indeed be loaded at the new refinery’s gantry without issue.

Further emphasizing the operational status, Soneye highlighted that the refinery is currently running at 90% of its capacity, processing 60,000 barrels per day.

“At this rate, it produces 1.4 million litres of PMS (petrol) in addition to other products like diesel and kerosene,” he stated.