The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has called on the group chief executive officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), Bayo Ojulari, to urgently repair the Port Harcourt Refinery or resign.
In a statement signed by IPMAN’s Eastern Zonal Secretary, Emmanuel Inimgba, the association criticised the prolonged shutdown of the refinery closed on May 24, 2025, for what was announced as a 30-day maintenance period, but still idle more than 80 days later.
Inimgba said the closure has caused massive job losses among tanker drivers, oil workers, and host community members, while contractors have reportedly abandoned the site over unpaid funds. He accused the NNPC chief of failing to visit the facility in four months.
“If the GCEO cannot fix or show commitment to the refinery’s rehabilitation, stakeholders will call on President Tinubu to replace him,” Inimgba warned.
The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) also criticised the slow pace of work, with Eastern zonal chairman Sunny Nkpe, saying he was alarmed by “the lack of visible progress” during a recent inspection.
The $1.5 billion rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refining Company was declared completed in November 2024, but operations were halted in May 2025 for further checks. Ojulari recently ruled out selling the plant, insisting the company would complete “high-grade rehabilitation” before resuming full operations.
