The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria has accused Bayo Ojulari, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited of neglecting the revival of the Port Harcourt refinery.

The PETROAN’s Zonal Chairman for System 2E (Eastern Zone), Sunny Nkpe, expressed concern in a statement on Monday about the slow progress at the Old Port Harcourt Refinery (Area 5), which was shut down on May 24, 2025, for a 30-day scheduled repair.

Nkpe, who visited the refinery site last weekend for fact-finding oversight, was troubled by the sluggish activity there and noted that Ojulari had yet to visit the facility since taking office as GCEO.

“The current Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC, Bayo Ojulari, has not yet visited the Port Harcourt Refinery physically within four months in office, indicating a lack of passion for the functionality of the Port Harcourt refinery,” Nkpe was quoted in the statement.

He said contractors at the rehabilitation site complained of being unpaid for over 12 months.

He also recalled that repairs on the cracking and blending plants of Units 12 and 14 were nearly finished when the new NNPC boss assumed office.

“The contractors lamented that they are owed for over 12 months without funding. All was set for the Old Port Harcourt Refinery to commence production as the necessary repairs scheduled for the cracking and blending plant of Unit 12 and Unit 14 of the old refinery were almost completed before the new Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC gave no commitment and showed lack of interest, which signals support to give a competitive advantage to private refineries to gain monopoly and exploit Nigerians with outrageous prices for petroleum products,” Nkpe alleged.

The PETROAN zonal chairman said he plans to consult with other midstream stakeholders, including petroleum tanker drivers, independent marketers, oil and gas suppliers, and others. He noted that thousands of tanker drivers and marketers have been put out of business due to the refinery’s shutdown.

“Thousands of tanker drivers are out of jobs, including staff of PETROAN and IPMAN, and it is imperative that we agree on legitimate options to call for the revival of the Port Harcourt refinery,” he stressed.

He insisted that restarting the plant would “stabilize petroleum product prices and reduce the dominance of private refineries,” highlighting the refinery’s crucial role in supplying Aba, Enugu, Makurdi, and other major cities. Nkpe urged the NNPC GCEO to give the Port Harcourt refinery “top priority attention.”

He also called on President Bola Tinubu to “order immediate action to revive the Port Harcourt refinery,” warning that “these unnecessary delays seem orchestrated and driven by vested interests aiming to sabotage the President’s vision.”

Nkpe said, “Economic activities regained their boom, petty traders within the host communities celebrated, and jobs were also created. Above all, the prices of petroleum products were stable and on average, hence competition was at its peak.”

Nkpe expressed that he was “super excited” when Ojulari, a technocrat from Shell Oil Plc, was appointed as NNPC GCEO. He added, “However, I am shocked by his inability to show capacity in reviving the old Port Harcourt refinery, which was supposed to be fixed within 30 days since May 24, 2025.”

When asked if stakeholders would support calls to sack Ojulari over the shutdown of the distribution network, Nkpe responded, “I will wait for the collective decision of stakeholders before making any further comments.”

He however noted that stakeholders remain committed to supporting President Tinubu’s reform agenda and “will not tolerate anyone or any group obstructing the President’s efforts to get the refinery up and running.”