PETROAN Rejects NNPC CEO’s Praise for Dangote Refinery, Warns Against Using Private Success to Excuse Public Failure
The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has sharply criticised the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Engr. Bayo Ojulari, for his comments about the Port Harcourt Refinery, describing his stance as inappropriate and damaging to public confidence in Nigeria’s energy sector.
The association accused Ojulari of using the collapse of the state-owned Port Harcourt refinery as a basis to praise the Dangote Refinery—a privately owned facility that has been operating successfully since its commissioning.
“Private Success Cannot Replace Public Responsibility”
PETROAN’s National Public Relations Officer, Joseph Obele, said Ojulari’s comments were unacceptable, particularly because they appeared to shift responsibility for the Port Harcourt refinery’s failure onto the shoulders of a private competitor.
Ojulari had earlier urged Nigerians to “thank God” for the Dangote refinery, arguing that it provided the country with a much-needed “breathing space” when state-owned refineries were shut down. He said:
“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 also said the Port Harcourt refinery was running at “monumental losses,” which led to its closure.
In response, PETROAN said the private refinery’s success should not be used to justify or downplay the failure of public infrastructure.
“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.
Warnings Over Investor Confidence and Energy Security
PETROAN also warned that repeated public admissions of incompetence by NNPC leadership could erode investor confidence, weaken Nigeria’s energy security framework, and undermine years of policy efforts aimed at domestic refining, price stability, and job creation.
Obele insisted that Ojulari’s appointment was meant to address and solve systemic problems, not to retreat behind the achievements of a private refinery.
He described the assertion that there is no urgency to restart the Port Harcourt Refinery because Dangote is meeting the country’s fuel needs as “annoying” and “unacceptable.”
“Such a statement is indicative of leadership that is not solution-centric,” Obele said.
Calls for Accountability and Legal Action
PETROAN said Nigeria cannot continue to normalise waste, institutional failure, and retrospective justification of poor decisions. The association urged that acknowledging failure should be followed by accountability, reforms, and a credible plan to prevent recurrence.
Obele further announced plans to mobilise civil society groups and stakeholders to explore legal options that could demand the removal of the NNPC GCEO if the Port Harcourt Refinery does not resume operations by 1 March 2026.
He warned that continued shutdown could lead to rust, corrosion, and equipment failure, which could ultimately render the $1.5 billion rehabilitation effort futile if urgent action is not taken.
In PETROAN’s view, the matter is not simply about the performance of a private refinery, but about the nation’s ability to manage its strategic assets responsibly and sustainably.