Petroleum marketers in Rivers State are raising the alarm over the extended closure of the Port Harcourt refinery, warning that the delay is worsening economic hardship in the region and threatening local businesses.
Originally scheduled to reopen 30 days after shutting down for repairs on May 24, the old refinery remains inactive more than two months later. This has sparked growing frustration among fuel dealers, who are now urging President Bola Tinubu to act swiftly to revive the plant.
At a press briefing in Port Harcourt, the Chairman of the Host Community Bulk Petroleum Retailers Association, Mike Amadi, voiced his concern over the continued downtime. He said the inactivity is taking a heavy toll on communities and businesses that rely on the refinery for survival.
“We’re struggling to stay afloat. This delay is hurting livelihoods and pushing people deeper into hardship,” Amadi said.
The association is asking the Federal Government to immediately release funds needed to complete the repairs, guarantee a steady supply of crude oil, and ensure the refinery resumes operations by early August.
“This situation, if not addressed urgently, could undermine the very economic reforms the Tinubu administration is aiming to achieve,” Amadi added.
The outcry comes as skepticism grows over the future of Nigeria’s government-owned refineries. The Group CEO of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, recently admitted that previous investments in the sector have failed to deliver meaningful results. Billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote also cast doubt on whether the refineries will ever operate effectively again, despite an estimated $18 billion spent on their maintenance over the years.
Meanwhile, calls have resurfaced from industry players and members of the public for the federal government to consider privatizing the refineries instead of pouring more funds into a system many believe is broken.
The fate of the Port Harcourt refinery, once a major component of Nigeria’s oil processing infrastructure, now hangs in the balance—along with the hopes of thousands of businesses that depend on it.
