On May 24, Soneye released an official statement announcing the shutdown of the Port Harcourt refinery for maintenance. Yet, more than seven months later, the facility has not resumed fuel production.
The refinery had previously been declared operational in November 2024 by the former NNPC Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, following years of inactivity. At the time, Kyari stated that the 60,000-barrel-capacity refinery was back in full operation, with the upgraded complex now operating at 70% of its installed capacity.
The NNPC reported that diesel and low-pour fuel oil would be the refinery’s main outputs, with daily capacities of 1.5 million litres and 2.1 million litres, respectively. Other expected products included 1.4 million litres of premium motor spirit (from blended straight-run gasoline/naphtha), 900,000 litres of kerosene, and 2.1 million litres of low-pour fuel oil, with roughly 200 petrol trucks projected for daily release into the Nigerian market.
However, six months after the widely publicized rehabilitation and resumption, the refinery was once again shut down. Similarly, the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company, which Kyari reopened in December, was closed just a month later.
Upon assuming office, the new NNPC Group Chief Executive, Bayo Ojulari, reviewed the Port Harcourt refinery and found that it had been operating at a loss. He revealed that before the suspension of rehabilitation works, the refinery was losing up to $500 million monthly. Although it was processing about 50,000 barrels of crude, less than 40% of the input was effectively refined.
Ojulari said, “When I resumed, one of my first priorities was the refinery. A quick review showed we were losing between $300 million and $500 million monthly. Our first step was to stop operations and find a way to make the refinery sustainably profitable.”
Meanwhile, the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria has called for the privatization of the country’s four state-owned refineries, urging the Federal Government to conclude the process by the first quarter of 2026. The association argues that privatization would reduce the government’s fiscal burden, improve operational efficiency, attract private investment and technical expertise, and align Nigeria’s refining sector with global standards.
However, Ojulari has rejected calls to sell the refineries, emphasizing that ongoing technical and commercial reviews are aimed at repositioning the plants as sustainable, revenue-generating assets capable of meeting Nigeria’s fuel demand while complying with international operational standards.
Attempts to reach NNPC spokesman Andy Odeh for further comments on the refineries were not successful.
