Bright orange flames flare upwards from a pencil-thin chimney at the Port Harcourt Refining Company, sending thick black smoke into the white clouds above Nigeria’s southern oil hub.
On the ground, workers in boiler suits and hard hats inspect the tanks, valves and gauges around the metal pipes that stretch up, down and across the facility.
In the hush of the control room, away from the hiss of steam and hum of heavy machinery, the refining process is monitored closely on a bank of computer screens.
PHRC boss Bafred Enjugu sees it as a sign that Nigeria — Africa’s biggest oil producer — is finally “domesticating” the refining of crude into products, thus improving its energy security and ending a reliance on costly imports.
The talk is of job creation, national pride and the chance to help revive an economy badly hurt by the fall in global oil prices as well as providing fuel for the increasing demands of a growing population.
“To give up on the refineries is like giving up on Nigeria. That’s how strongly I believe about it and we can’t afford to do that,” the PHRC managing director told AFP.
“We can’t go home and tell our children that we have failed to provide the right platform to take off.”
– Stop the rot –
The Port Harcourt refinery is Nigeria’s oldest, built in 1965, nine years after oil was found under the marshy soil and creeks of the delta, where the Niger river runs off into the Gulf of Guinea.
Refineries in nearby Warri, and Kaduna in the north central region, were built in the years that followed, while a new plant was added to the same site in Port Harcourt in 1989.
In recent years, however, the facilities have been more idle than operational.
OPEC-member Nigeria instead sent much of the 1.8 million barrels of crude it now produces daily to foreign facilities, buying back refined products such as petrol at market prices.
By the end of Goodluck Jonathan’s presidency, just how reliant Nigeria had become on imports became clear when a dispute between marketers and the government caused a crippling fuel shortage.
Muhammadu Buhari, elected on an anti-corruption ticket, replaced Jonathan in late May, days after the blockade was lifted, and vowed to end years of graft and mismanagement.
Less than a month later, the state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), of which PHRC is a subsidiary, said all four refineries would resume operations.
Buhari, who accused Jonathan and his predecessors of having “run down” the refineries since the return to civilian rule in 1999, then sacked the entire NNPC board.
A probe was ordered into “mind-boggling” sums of oil revenue allegedly diverted into private accounts, and a Harvard-educated lawyer was named to run the NNPC and make it commercially viable.
– ‘Thorough overhaul’ –
Enjugu’s efforts and optimism reflect what appears to be a new era and mindset at the NNPC.
The new group managing director, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, has promised to uproot the firm’s “anything goes” culture and warned of sackings for under-performance.
The Port Harcourt refineries can refine up to 210,000 barrels of crude a day but are currently operating at 60 percent of capacity.
“After 14 years we have had to clean up, to do a thorough overhaul of the system,” explained Enjugu.
Recurrent pipeline vandalism also means deliveries of crude can for now only come by ship, slowing down the process.
But Enjugu was hopeful targets to boost output can be met within the government-imposed three-month limit to the end of November and the workforce was committed to the task.
“We will make the country proud again… People want to deliver, people want to prove that there is a fortune to be made,” he said.
– ‘Responsible, transparent’ –
Buhari, who stares down from a portrait on Enjugu’s wall, helped launch the NNPC in 1977.
In recent years, however, it became a byword for corruption: a murky, state-run body where billions of dollars in revenue apparently disappeared.
But since Buhari’s election and pledge to get tough on endemic corruption, Enjugu, significantly, has new watchwords.
The Group managing director “made it very clear and quickly reminds us of being responsible,” he added.
“But most importantly it’s about being transparent. Transparency means whatever we do, we show. The world is fairly well-connected now. There’s enough information to do this transparency.
“I think the issue of corruption can definitely not be there… I think we will bring back the good opinion of NNPC.”
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GEJ thank you for reviving our Refineries
ReplyDeleteMr. Anonymous 6:01pm U have succeeded in making the most ridiculous statement of the day. Not surprised actually because GEJ use to do the same.
DeleteBecause na you kill wey make you sure
DeleteIt was GEJ that revived the refineries and not PMB, APC should stop riding on GEJ's achievements and start theirs.
ReplyDeleteGEJ' legacies live on
ReplyDeleteYes they live on
ReplyDeleteYes they live on
ReplyDelete"Less than a month later, the state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), of which PHRC is a subsidiary, said all four refineries would resume operations."
ReplyDeleteNeed we compare sixteen years of ineptitude to three months (late May to mid-September) of effective leadership? Your guess is as good as mine.
Kudos to his excellency Goodluck Ebele Jonathan
ReplyDeleteIt's obvious that the work was done by Goodluck so let's tell ourselves the truth and stop deceiving ordinary Nigerians.
ReplyDeleteIf truly it is GEJ work, GEJ and this people should have boldly come out to say it that our refineries will work and not after 1 month that Buhari took over.
ReplyDeleteThey have never mentioned it as part of their achievement either by GEJ or any of his cabinets.
Its clear that this work started at the time of Buhari bcos it doent take forever for this work to be done OR
it started by GEJ but did not mention it waiting for the election and if they won, they will silence it in order to continue with their subsidy method which they are benefiting hugely from.
This people have killed the country and they never wanted any good thing for this country.
It still surprise me when one of them said Nigeria can not afford A NEW TRAIN. This really shows how wicked they are and how they wanted to kill the country
just like PMB is going round Aladja and Ajaokuta to revive them, very soon it would be the legacy of GEJ Shame!!!
ReplyDeleteI petty foolish and nonentity of some person that makes comments through their nyash.
ReplyDeleteThey can not read between the lines.
They went to school but unfortunately they now allow school to go through them. It's quite sad. Sentiment is their fathers name after some ogogro. Shame on you.
That is why apart from the smell of plenty ogogro, they can never smell power to lead us again. Whether they like it or not Nigeria and Nigerians will remain one.
Housas, Yorubas and Ibos will continue to dominate our political structures and indeed continue to rule us. This is true, for the fact that they the majority in size and population.
The minority will remain minority for ever. Minority will only rule when they abide by the rules of the game.