A civil society organisation, CSO, Concerned Citizens of Nigeria, yesterday raised concerns over the announcement by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) that the Port-Harcourt Refinery has commenced operations.
Recall that the NNPCL had on Tuesday announced that the refinery has commenced operations at 70% capacity. President Bola Tinubu, who congratulated the NNPCL on the achievement, also directed the company to revive the Warri and Kaduna refineries.
However, at a press briefing in Abuja yesterday, the CSO voiced concerns over allegations that the refinery has been converted into a blending plant. National Coordinator of Concerned Citizens of Nigeria, Comrade Mahmud Abdul, also alleged that NNPCL is planning to sell imported, substandard petrol to Nigerians as locally refined fuel.
The CSO also alleged that the announcement of the refinerys commencement of operations is a ruse designed to deceive Nigerians.
According to the CSO, The Corporation has now made a bad situation worse by stage-managing a resumption of production since it has now been established that NNPCL is not trucking-out Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), better known as petrol, from its Port-Harcourt Refinery. Instead, some videos of NNPCL branded trucks that were used to announce that the refinery has resumed operations and started trucking out PMS were mere movie productions to mislead Nigerians.
According to the CSO, A true test of whether NNPCL will release petrol from the Port Harcourt Refinery into the market would be the pricing. Mele Kyaris NNPCL plans to sustain the current price band for petrol since that is the only way they can remain profitable from passing-off imported sub-standard petrol as refined in Port-Harcourt.
To set the records straight, and bring those culpable of any wrongdoing to account, the CSO called for a thorough investigation of the reported resumption of the Port-Harcourt Refinery.
