Kyari confirms Port Harcourt refinery to take off in December 2023 

Mele Kyari has confirmed that the Port Harcourt refinery will take off in December 2023.

He said this while meeting with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas on Thursday, November 23.  

The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited said the rehabilitation of the state-run refineries is ongoing and that by December 2024 Nigeria would stop petrol imports.  

He said: 

Meanwhile, Tajudeen Abbass called for the privatization of refineries due to the fact that some businesses are not meant to be run by the government.  

He said: 

In August 2023, the National Assembly announced that it would probe the alleged N11.3 trillion expenditure by the Federal Government on Nigeria’s refineries’ turn-around maintenance between 2010 and 2020. 

According to the House of Representatives Committee Chairman on Public Accounts, there is concern over the deplorable state of Nigeria’s refineries despite the significant amount of money spent on their maintenance over the past decade. 

Note that the NNPCL plans to provide the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote oil refinery, with up to six shipments of crude oil in December for testing, based on information from industry sources both at NNPCL and Dangote refinery.

The six shipments, totalling 200,000 barrels per day, are set for December as part of a one-year agreement.