The Port-Harcourt refinery has been scheduled to undergo a 30-day facility maintenance to improve efficiencyAs the exercise commences, the management has issued a stern warning to staff against any contact with the pressMeanwhile, some marketers insist that the scheduled maintenance is a fraud and that the refinery has never produced any fuel Legit.ng journalist Ruth Okwumbu-Imafidon has over a decade of experience in business reporting across digital and mainstream media.
Port Harcourt Refinery has been officially shut down for maintenance. Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) announced the shutdown on Saturday, May 24, 2025.
The NNPC Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, said the maintenance would last one month and be done transparently.
The refinery, one of the five oldest in Africa, only resumed operations in 2024 after the NNPCL invested billions of naira in its rehabilitation.
NNPCL’s top management would be visiting the refinery during the maintenance.
Photo credit: NNPCL
Source: TwitterJust months after the recommissioning, the refinery is scheduled to undergo a 30-day maintenance period during which production will cease.
The NNPCL statement did not provide reasons for the maintenance, but added that it would include a sustainability assessment.
Refinery Management warns staff against press contactStaff at the Port Harcourt Refining Company have been warned not to speak to the press about the maintenance exercise.
A memo sent from the management and signed by the Human Capital Management Lead for the Operations & Maintenance, PHRC Project, Leo Njoku, stressed that staff must focus on their assigned tasks and avoid speaking to journalists.
The memo, seen by the PUNCH, said that the management would be monitoring the staff activities to track any non-compliance and apply sanctions accordingly.
It reads;
“There will be a lot of activities within and around the PHRC premises. There will be a presence of NNPCL top management, government officials, print and media (broadcast) press people visiting the plant for updates on the ongoing maintenance.“All staff are expected to note the following: Mind your business. No interaction with external people or giving information to the press. As government workers, it is against the Labour Law to engage the Pressmen in interviews.“It attracts its sanctions. HCM will be monitoring staff activities during this period. There will be severe disciplinary consequences for defaulters. Please be guided and mind your business and face your assigned task.”Marketers insist Port Harcourt refinery did not produce any fuelDespite claims from the refinery that the plant was operational until Friday, May 23, 2025, marketers insist that the refinery did not produce any fuel in the last few months.
However, the spokesperson for the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria, Joseph Obele, affirmed that the refinery was operational until Thursday.
There will be stiff sanctions for staff who fail to comply, the refinery management has warned.
Photo credit: NNPCL
Source: TwitterObele expressed concerns that a prolonged shutdown could create supply challenges, lead to fuel scarcity, and job losses.
Amid these challenges, Dangote Refinery is still slashing fuel prices and has reduced the official pump price for fuel to about N875 per litre in Lagos State.
Nigerians react as NNPC shuts down PH RefineryIn related news, Legit.ng reported that Nigerians on social media are reacting to the maintenance coming after billions have been spent on rehabilitation.
Several insisted that they doubted whether the refinery ever worked a day, and called for the refinery to be shut down for good and sold as scrap metal.
One X user, @Cikings, insisted that someone should be jailed if a recently rehabilitated refinery undergoes maintenance without ever producing fuel.
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Source: Legit.ng
