The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Monday, December 9, 2024, embarked on a tour of the recently rehabilitated Port Harcourt Refinery in Rivers State.
The presidents of the two labour unions, Comrade Joe Ajaero and Comrade Festus Osifo led other labour leaders on the tour of the facility.
Speaking during the visit, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) noted that the labour leaders confirmed that the Port Harcourt Refinery is operational
“The Nigerian (sic) Labour Congress (NLC) led by its President, Joe Ajaero and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Nigeria President, Festus Osifo, have confirmed that the Old Port Harcourt Refinery is now operational and producing high-quality petroleum products.
“They both led a delegation of labor union leaders and conducted an inspection of the rehabilitated facility on Monday, affirming its functionality and output standards” the state oil company stated on its official X platform.
Earlier, the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the oil company Mele Kyari announced that the Port Harcourt refinery rehabilitation project is over 90% complete.
Kyari, represented by Group Executive Vice President, Downstream, Isiyaku Abdullahi while speaking to the trade union leaders after conducting a tour around the facility, said the latest report received from the contractor showed that over 90 per cent of rehabilitation work has been completed.
“This asset is under rehabilitation or an upgrade. There is an established process so that when the rehabilitation is completed, it will start running and it’s a state of art compared to any refinery in the world.
“From the contractors’ view, and from the report they sent to us, the refinery is over 90 per cent completed and will be finished as soon as possible. We are following through and ensuring that we get value for money. And then we can combine 60,000 barrels making it a total of 210,000 barrels. This would support our refining processes and products with the multiple effects that we would get from refining products. And then we can have sufficient products and then export them to other countries.”
On his part, the refinery’s Managing Director, Ibrahim Onoja, showed the fact-finding team the plant.
“This is the new Port Harcourt refinery, a 150,000 barrels per day plant commissioned in 1989. The rehabilitation work is ongoing in this new Port Harcourt refinery at the same time we were working on the old Port Harcourt refinery. The old one is completed and the plant is running. You can see the new Port Harcourt refinery is at an advanced stage but importantly size matters.”
