Oil marketers under the aegis of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) have asked the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to provide a definite, realistic, and workable timeline for the revival of Nigeria’s refineries.
According to a statement by the PRO of PETROAN, Joseph Obele, the National President of PETROAN, Billy Gillis-Harry, expressed deep concern that Nigeria is fast approaching another election season, noting that Nigerians deserve to know when these refineries will be operational.
PETROAN in the statement notes with concern that despite spending over $4 billion on the rehabilitation of these refineries over time, Nigerians are yet to see tangible results, raising serious questions about efficiency, accountability and project delivery.
The expenditure includes funds approved and disbursed for the most recent turnaround maintenance and rehabilitation contracts.
What PETROAN is saying
PETROAN insists that serious projects must always be guided by a clear timeline with measurable milestones.
The statement partly reads, ‘’Stakeholders and Nigerians are therefore asking a simple but critical question: When will Nigeria’s refineries resume production?
‘’Closely linked to this is the concern over what has become of the billions of dollars committed to their rehabilitation.
‘’While the NNPCL has announced that it is currently carrying out project appraisals and sourcing strategic partners, PETROAN insists that every serious project must be guided by a clear timeline with measurable milestones.
‘’Nigerians deserve to know exactly when these refineries will return to operation.’’
Nigeria’s refineries located in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna have a combined installed production capacity of 445,000 barrels per day as detailed below:
Port Harcourt Refinery: 210,000 barrels per day, Warri Refinery: 125,000 barrels per day, while the Kaduna Refinery is 110,000 barrels per day.
Despite this substantial capacity, the refineries have remained largely non-operational for years.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja, PETROAN National President, Billy Gillis-Harry, expressed deep concern that Nigeria is fast approaching another election season.
Decisive action
Meanwhile, Gillis-Harry noted that governance and project execution often slow down during such periods, making it imperative that decisive action be taken within the first quarter of the year, ahead of the forthcoming election calendar.
He stated that the operationalization of Nigeria’s refineries would significantly reduce the cost of petroleum products.
According to him, local refining will drastically cut importation, conserve foreign exchange, strengthen the naira, and create thousands of direct and indirect jobs across the petroleum value chain.
PETROAN reaffirmed its readiness to fully support the NNPCL and the Federal Government in reviving all four refineries, noting that credible foreign technical and financial partners are on standby to collaborate toward achieving this national objective.
What you should know
Recall that in September 2025, PETROAN called on the Federal Government to consider reputable foreign companies as technical and equity partners in the management of the Port Harcourt refinery.
The association commended the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Bayo Ojulari, for initiating the process that could see the engagement of a private firm in the management of the refinery under the Technical and Equity (T&E) partnership model.
PETROAN advocated for a transparent and expedited revival process of the refinery, devoid of political interference.
The association commended NNPC for awarding the assessment contract of the Port Harcourt refinery to a renowned international firm, UOP.
