Taiwo Popoola
President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has said the Port Harcourt refinery is operating at 70 percent installed capacity with plans to increase production shortly.
Onanuga said the refinery receives regular crude oil contrary to claims of lacking the product.
He disclosed this after joining a fact-finding team at the 60,000 barrels per day refinery on Wednesday.
The presidential aide noted that the lies and doubts about the refinery have been dismissed by the team’s fact-finding mission.
We explained that the team was satisfied with the state of the refinery.
Onanuga disclosed this in a statement titled, “Putting to Rest Rumours about Port Harcourt Refinery Complex: Our Fact-Finding Mission.”
According to Onanuga: “I was part of a fact-finding team that visited the 60,000 barrels daily Port Harcourt Refining Complex on Wednesday. I will now share our findings.
“Our team, guided by the refinery’s Managing Director Ibrahim Onoja, toured the entire complex, from the computerised control room to the loading bay and every section in between. We asked pointed questions and received satisfactory answers, dispelling our doubts and misconceptions.
“Nigerians must ignore naysayers and false information about the refinery’s operations. While it is not currently running at 100%, it is functioning at 70% installed capacity, with plans to increase production shortly.
“Furthermore, the refinery receives regular crude supplies, contrary to claims that it lacks crude to refine.”
He commended NNPCL for reviving “this dead asset,” on the “verge of becoming a museum piece.”
In November, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Olufemi Soneye, announced the commencement of the Port Harcourt refinery.
NNPCL spokesman said the refinery commenced operation with 60 percent capacity.
Soneye said the Refinery is processing 60,000 barrels per day of crude, adding that the facility has a combined 250,000 barrels per day capacity.
