The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has refuted the recent report that the Port Harcourt Refinery had not properly kicked off,
insisting that the renovated refinery is in proper shape and not shut down.
According to a statement by Olufemi Soneye, the NNPC’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, on Saturday,
the state-owned oil giant clarified that preparations for loading on Saturday were underway.
Soneye’s statement is a reaction to a report that the refinery had stopped loading petroleum products barely one month after it had been declared open.
According to him, the refinery is fully operational, as verified a few days ago by by former group managing directors of NNPC.
Saturday Punch had earlier reported that less than a month after the Port Harcourt Refining Company appeared to have resumed production, the facility had stopped working.
“The attention of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has been drawn to reports in a section of the media alleging that the Old Port Harcourt Refinery which was re-streamed two months ago has been shut down,” the statement said.
“We wish to clarify that such reports are totally false as the refinery is fully operational as verified a few days ago by former Group Managing Directors of NNPC.
“Preparation for the day’s loading operation is currently ongoing,” he said in the statement.
Soneye who urged members of the public to disregard the report said that the malicious reports were figments of imaginations of individuals attempting to create artificial scarcity and exploit Nigerians.
“Members of the public are advised to discountenance such reports as they are the figments of the imagination of those who want to create artificial scarcity and rip-off Nigerians,” he stressed.
Kindly share this report
