The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has criticised comments made by Bayo Ojulari, group chief executive officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, on the Port Harcourt refinery, describing them as unacceptable and indicative of poor leadership.
The association faulted Ojulari for suggesting that Nigerians should be grateful for the Dangote refinery while government-owned refineries remain non-functional, warning that such remarks risk normalising institutional failure.
Ojulari had earlier said the Dangote refinery offered critical relief when state-owned refineries were shut down, adding that the Port Harcourt refinery was incurring heavy losses, which necessitated its closure.
Reacting in a statement on Wednesday, PETROAN’s national public relations officer, Joseph Obele, said while the Dangote refinery is a commendable private-sector achievement, it cannot be used to justify the continued underperformance of public assets.
According to Obele, NNPC holds national assets in trust for Nigerians and has a constitutional and economic responsibility to ensure they are efficiently managed. He stressed that private investment driven by profit cannot replace the government’s obligation to operate public infrastructure effectively.
He warned that repeated public admissions of failure by NNPC leadership could damage investor confidence, weaken Nigeria’s energy security, and undermine efforts aimed at boosting domestic refining capacity, stabilising fuel prices, and creating employment.
PETROAN also expressed concern over comments suggesting there was no urgency to restart the Port Harcourt refinery because current fuel needs are being met by the Dangote facility, describing such a position as troubling and not solution-driven.
The association said acknowledging failure only carries weight when followed by accountability, reforms, and a clear plan to prevent a repeat of past mistakes.
Obele further disclosed that PETROAN would engage civil society organisations and other relevant stakeholders to explore legal options to demand Ojulari’s removal if the Port Harcourt refinery fails to resume operations on or before March 1, 2026.
He warned that prolonged inactivity at the refinery, especially after significant funds have been spent on rehabilitation, could lead to corrosion, equipment failure, and the eventual collapse of the revamp effort if urgent action is not taken.
