Mele Kyari, group chief executive officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, says it is not a crime to blend petroleum products at the old Port Harcourt refinery.
Kyari, who spoke at the commissioning of the NUPENG Towers
in Lagos on Wednesday, said the refinery is up and running, with loading
operations in full swing.
On November 26, the refinery commenced crude oil processing
after several years of being moribund.
The state-owned plant also commenced the loading of
petroleum products for trucks.
The national oil firm disclosed that the refinery commenced
production of daily outputs of straight-run petrol (naphtha), which is blended
into 1.4 million litres of petrol.
Some Nigerians have questioned the ongoing blending at the
refinery when the plant ought to be refining crude.
Speaking on the issue, Kyari said blending is not a crime as
it is an integral part of the refining process.
“If you don’t blend, you will bring out off-spec products
which will destroy your vehicles,” he said.
“Every refinery blends because what is on specification in
the United States of America will be off-spec in Nigeria and elsewhere.
“Blending is necessary to bring products to the
specification of different countries or regions.”
Kyari also invited those in doubt about the operationalisation
of the refinery, including Femi Falana, human rights activist and lawyer, to
join him on a tour of the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries to verify
their various statuses.
He congratulated NUPENG on the successful completion of the
NUPENG Towers, urging the union to continue to prioritise dialogue and
cooperation in its relationship with the NNPC and the federal government.
The GCEO said the president’s interventions in the oil and
gas industry by way of executive orders are yielding positive results, with
more investments coming in and prospects of more jobs in the industry.
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