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The Port-Harcourt refinery has been scheduled to undergo a 30-day facility maintenance to improve efficiency As the exercise commences, the management has issued a stern warning to staff against any contact with the pressMeanwhile, some marketers earlier claimed that the scheduled maintenance was a fraud and argued that the refinery never produced any fuel Legit.ng journalist Ruth Okwumbu-Imafidon has over a decade of experience in business reporting across digital and mainstream media.
The Port Harcourt Refinery has been officially shut down for maintenance. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) announced the closure on Saturday, May 24, 2025.
Olufemi Soneye, the NNPC’s chief corporate communications officer, said the maintenance would last one month and be done transparently.
The refinery, one of the oldest in Africa, only resumed operations in 2024 after the NNPCL invested billions of naira in its rehabilitation.
The Port Harcourt Refinery maintenance is underway as management warns staff against engaging with journalists on issues concerning the facility.
Photo credit: NNPCL
Source: TwitterJust months after the recommissioning, the refinery is scheduled to undergo a 30-day maintenance period during which production will cease.
The NNPCL statement did not provide reasons for the maintenance, but added that it would include a sustainability assessment.
Port Harcourt Refinery management warns staffStaff at the Port Harcourt Refining Company have been warned not to speak to the press about the maintenance exercise.
A memo sent from the management and signed by the Human Capital Management Lead for the Operations & Maintenance, PHRC Project, Leo Njoku, stressed that staff must focus on their assigned tasks and avoid speaking to journalists.
The memo, seen by the PUNCH, said that the management would be monitoring the staff activities to track any non-compliance and apply sanctions accordingly.
It reads;
“There will be a lot of activities within and around the PHRC premises. There will be a presence of NNPCL top management, government officials, print and media (broadcast) press people visiting the plant for updates on the ongoing maintenance.“All staff are expected to note the following: Mind your business. No interaction with external people or giving information to the press. As government workers, it is against the Labour Law to engage the Pressmen in interviews.“It attracts its sanctions. HCM will be monitoring staff activities during this period. There will be severe disciplinary consequences for defaulters. Please be guided and mind your business and face your assigned task.”Marketers claim PH refinery didn’t produce fuelDespite claims from the refinery that the plant was operational until Friday, May 23, 2025, marketers argued that the refinery did not produce any fuel in the last few months.
However, the spokesperson for the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria, Joseph Obele, affirmed that the refinery was operational until Thursday.
The Port Harcourt Refinery begins maintenance as management warns staff against engaging with journalists on issues concerning the facility.
Photo credit: NNPCL
Source: TwitterObele expressed concerns that a prolonged shutdown could create supply challenges, lead to fuel scarcity, and job losses.
Amid these challenges, Dangote Refinery is still slashing fuel prices and has reduced the official pump price for fuel to about N875 per litre in Lagos State.
Reactions as NNPC shuts down PH RefineryEarlier, Legit.ng reported that Nigerians on social media reacted to the maintenance of the Port Harcourt Refinery despite the billions spent on rehabilitation.
Many doubted whether the refinery ever worked a day, and called for the refinery to be shut down for good and sold as scrap metal.
One X user, @Cikings, insisted that someone should be jailed if a recently rehabilitated refinery undergoes maintenance without ever producing fuel.
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Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
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