President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has confirmed that the Port Harcourt refinery is operating at 70% of its installed capacity, with plans to ramp up production soon. He made this statement following a fact-finding visit to the refinery on Wednesday, where he was part of a team that assessed its operations.
Onanuga dispelled rumors suggesting that the refinery was not receiving enough crude oil, stating that the facility receives regular crude supplies, contrary to claims of product shortages. He further clarified that, while the refinery is not yet operating at full capacity, it is functioning efficiently at 70% of its installed capacity, and production is expected to increase shortly.
The fact-finding team, led by the refinery’s Managing Director, Ibrahim Onoja, toured the complex, including the computerized control room, loading bays, and various sections, where they raised questions and received satisfactory responses that cleared up doubts about the refinery’s operation.
Onanuga commended the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) for reviving the refinery, which he described as a “dead asset” that was on the brink of becoming a museum piece. He also urged Nigerians to disregard misinformation and false claims about the refinery’s operations.
In a related development, NNPCL spokesman Olufemi Soneye had previously announced that the Port Harcourt refinery had resumed operations at 60% capacity in November, processing 60,000 barrels of crude oil daily, with a total capacity of 250,000 barrels per day.
