Retailers warn against using private refinery success to justify failure of state-owned assets, threaten legal action…..
The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria has criticised Bayo Ojulari, group chief executive officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, over his comments regarding the Port Harcourt refinery.
PETROAN urged the NNPC chief not to use the challenges of the state-owned refinery as a basis for praising the Dangote refinery.
Ojulari had earlier asked Nigerians to be grateful for the Dangote refinery, saying it provided “breathing space” at a time when government-owned refineries were shut.
“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 said.
He also stated that the Port Harcourt refinery had been incurring significant losses, which contributed to its shutdown.
In a statement issued Wednesday, PETROAN’s National Public Relations Officer, Joseph Obele, rejected the suggestion that Nigerians should be thankful solely because of the success of the Dangote refinery.
While acknowledging the strategic value and achievement of the privately owned facility, Obele said private investment cannot replace the constitutional and economic responsibility of government to properly manage national 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,” he said.
Obele warned that repeated public admissions of failure by NNPC leadership could weaken investor confidence, undermine Nigeria’s energy security, and erode policy gains aimed at strengthening domestic refining, stabilising fuel prices and creating jobs.
He urged the NNPC chief to recognise that his mandate is to resolve challenges rather than rely on the success of a private refinery.
The PETROAN spokesperson described as troubling the claim that there is no urgency to restart the Port Harcourt refinery because the Dangote refinery is currently meeting domestic fuel demand.
“Such a statement is unacceptable and reflects leadership that is not solution-driven,” Obele said.
He added that Nigeria must not normalise inefficiency, institutional failure or retrospective justification of poor decisions.
According to him, acknowledging failure is only meaningful when followed by accountability, reforms and a credible recovery plan.
Obele also said he would engage civil society organisations and other stakeholders to explore legal options to demand the removal of the NNPC chief if the Port Harcourt refinery does not resume operations on or before March 1, 2026.
He warned that despite the large sums already spent on rehabilitation, prolonged shutdown could lead to rust, corrosion and equipment deterioration, potentially rendering the entire revamp effort ineffective without urgent intervention.
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