The Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) Ltd began processing crude oil yesterday, Tuesday, 26th November, 2024 after a turnaround that lasted several years. This commendable milestone was achieved after several deadlines for resumption failed.
However, in a statement made available to the media on Wednesday, 27th November, 2024 by the Executive Director of an Islamic human rights group, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Professor Ishaq Akintola, it was argued that instead of turning attention to the Warri refinery for the next turnaround, the oil industry should now focus on Kaduna refinery for strategic planning, security concerns and geopolitical balancing.
The group contended further: “Efforts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Ltd (NNPCL) to revive the economy and secure autonomy for the nation in the oil sector received another boost when the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) Ltd began processing crude oil yesterday, Tuesday, 26th November, 2024.
“This was after many attempts at a turnaround of the refinery that lasted several years. This commendable milestone was achieved after several deadlines for resumption failed. The resumption of the Port Harcourt Refinery, which was initially inaugurated in 1965, raised Nigeria’s domestic refining capacity to 860,000 barrels per day. (https://dailytrust.com/just-in-port-harcourt-refinery-begins-operations/).
“While we commend NNPCL management for firmly setting the nation’s feet on a new era of energy security and economic growth, we call for a re-engineering of thought-process towards a change in focus, at least temporarily. Instead of turning attention to the Warri refinery for the next turnaround, the oil industry should now focus on the Kaduna refinery.
“Olufemi Soneye, spokesperson of NNPCL, was quoted as saying that the corporation’s attention would now turn to the second Port Harcourt refinery (the new one) and Warri Refinery.
“But this will not be fair, in our humble opinion, because Kaduna Refinery which has the capacity to produce 110,000 barrels per day (bpd) should be the next to be overhauled. This is for reasons of strategic planning, security concerns and geopolitical balancing. We must get our priorities right.
“With the Port Harcourt facility joining Dangote Refinery in Southern Nigeria, the attention of the oil industry should shift to the North where no single refinery is functioning at present. No region or zone should be sidelined in the distribution of infrastructure. Besides, Nigeria should not put all its eggs in one basket. There is, therefore, need for even distribution of oil facilities across the country.
“In addition, we call on NNPCL to expedite action on oil exploration in the North. It has been revealed that hydrocarbon deposits have been found in commercial quantity in the Kolmani River II Well spanning Bauchi and Gombe States on the Upper Benue Trough, Gongola Basin, in the northeastern part of the country (https://tribuneonlineng.com/nnpcs-quest-for-oil-exploration-in-the-north/).
“This is necessary in order to mull arrogant claimants who refer to the North as a liability to the rest of the country and refer to the South as the nation’s cash cow. Such claims are false, baseless and reckless. We complement each other as equal partners in nation building. We must therefore eliminate the mantra of North-South dichotomy”.
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