The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has once again failed to initiate fuel production at the Port Harcourt refinery located in Rivers State.

This setback follows multiple delays, with operations still not commencing as of August 2024. Promises made to the Nigerian public by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and NNPC regarding the refinery have repeatedly fallen short.

After the unfulfilled commitment made in early August, NNPC's Chief Financial Officer, Umar Ajiya, announced that operations at the Port Harcourt refinery would begin in September 2024.

In an August press briefing, Ajiya indicated that petroleum products would be ready for testing prior to distribution in the domestic market by September.

However, as September concluded yesterday, the NNPC has not provided any updates regarding the refinery's status. Our correspondent reached out to the NNPC last week for information, but received no response.

Additionally, Olufemi Soneye, the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the company, did not respond to inquiries sent on September 22 and 30, 2024.

Meanwhile, Maire Tecnimont SpA, the contractor responsible for the refinery's rehabilitation, stated that it would offer an update on the project's completion by or before October 2.

This information was relayed through a law firm, Olajide Oyewole LLP, in response to a query from Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, regarding the timeline for the refinery's rehabilitation.

The law firm confirmed that its client is reviewing Falana's letters dated September 17 and 24 and intends to respond by October 2, 2024.

Since December 2023, NNPC, which oversees all government refineries, has provided various timelines to the public, assuring them that the refinery would soon commence the sale of refined products.

In July, Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC, firmly announced that the refinery would begin operations in early August.

Kyari had previously asserted in 2019 that the NNPC would ensure the completion of all four refineries in the country before the conclusion of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s term.

During a Senate appearance in July, he confidently stated, “I can confirm to you, Mr. Chairman, that by the end of the year, this country will be a net exporter of petroleum products.

Regarding the NNPC refineries, we have communicated with several of your committees, and it is not feasible for the Kaduna refinery to be operational before December; both Warri and Kaduna will reach that point, but the Port Harcourt refinery is set to begin production in early August this year.”

However, this commitment was not met in August, marking the sixth delay. Although the NNPC maintained that progress was being made, the refinery has yet to start operations.

It is important to note that the 210,000 barrels per day refinery was reported to have achieved what the NNPC termed mechanical completion of rehabilitation work in December, with plans to refine 60,000 barrels of crude oil daily following the Christmas break of the previous year.

In January, Kyari indicated that the refinery was undergoing testing and would be operational by the end of that month.

In February, the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited completed the delivery of 475,000 barrels of crude oil to the facility, heightening marketers' expectations for the commencement of production.

This development occurred shortly after the NNPC announced in January its intention to engage reputable and credible operations and maintenance firms to manage the refinery.

By mid-March, Kyari stated that the Port Harcourt refinery would begin operations within two weeks, in April.

The commitment to serve this nation with integrity and respect was emphasized by Kyari following his appearance before the Senate Ad-hoc Committee, which is investigating the various turnaround maintenance initiatives for the country’s refineries.

He assured that the pledges made regarding the rehabilitation of these facilities would be fulfilled.

As the April deadline passed, independent petroleum marketers informed The PUNCH that production at the facility is expected to commence by the end of July.

In response, NNPC’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Soneye, indicated that the only barrier preventing the refinery from starting operations is the need for regulatory approvals from international organizations.

Many Nigerians have voiced their frustration over the prolonged inactivity of the nation’s refineries, which has led to a reliance on imported fuel, costing the country approximately N2 trillion monthly.

Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, revealed that the Federal Government has invested $4 billion in efforts to revitalize the nation’s refineries.

Located in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta region, the refinery has been operational since 1965 but has faced years of inactivity.

In March 2021, the Nigerian government secured a $1.5 billion loan aimed at renovating and modernizing the refinery, a decision that faced criticism from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who suggested selling all government-owned refineries instead.

Atiku also criticized both former President Muhammadu Buhari and the current President Bola Tinubu for not following his recommendation to privatize the refinery and others owned by the government.

Meanwhile, there is a growing optimism among Nigerians that the refinery will soon resume operations, potentially ending fuel imports and leading to a reduction in petrol prices.