The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has slammed the group chief executive officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Bayo Ojulari, over his comments about the Port Harcourt refinery.
PETROAN told Ojulari d the NNPC to refrain from using the failure of the state-owned asset as a basis for praising Dangote refinery.
Ojulari had asked Nigerians to thank God for Dangote refinery, saying it provided a “breathing space” when state-owned refineries were shut down.
“So we said, what’s the hurry? We have a refinery that is working. It’s not owned by NNPC, but it’s built in Nigeria, working in Nigeria,” Ojulari had said.
He also stated that he Port Harcourt plant was incurring monumental losses, which led to the closure of the plant.
In a statement, the national public relations officer (PRO), PETROAN,Joseph Obele, faulted Ojulari’s stance that Nigerians should be “thankful” solely because of the success of the Dangote refinery.
Acknowledging the strategic importance and commendable achievement of the privately owned refinery, he said private investment cannot replace the constitutional and economic obligation of the government to efficiently manage public assets.
“Dangote Refinery is a private investment driven by profit and efficiency. NNPC, on the other hand, holds national assets in trust for Nigerians. One cannot be used as an excuse for the failure of the other,” Obele said.
Obele called on the NNPC GCEO to understand that his appointment was to solve problems, “not to retreat behind the success of a private refinery”.
He described as “most worrisome” the assertion that there is no urgency to restart the Port Harcourt Refinery because Dangote is currently meeting Nigeria’s fuel needs.
“Such a statement is annoying, unacceptable, and indicative of leadership that is not solution-centric,” Obele said.
Obele further said he will lobby civil society groups and relevant stakeholders to explore legal options “to demand the removal of the NNPC GCEO should the Port Harcourt Refinery fail to resume operations on or before 1 March 2026”.
