Kyari, NNPCL faces backlash over $2bn Port Harcourt Refinery project

The APC youths insist on immediate action to halt what they describe as a continuous drain on public resources, warning that any further delays would harm both the nation’s economy and its citizens’ welfare.

Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under the aegis of the Youth Solidarity Network have voiced strong criticisms of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) over what they describe as a $2 billion “waste” in failed attempts to revitalise the Port Harcourt Refinery.

At a press briefing on Monday, October 7, the group accused NNPCL, under the leadership of Mele Kyari, of failing to make the refinery functional despite multiple promises and substantial funding.

“We demand the immediate investigation and probe into the missing $2 billion that was purportedly spent on the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refineries,” stated Olayemi Isaac, the president of the APC Youth Solidarity Network.

He argued that the refinery’s inactivity reflects a failure of leadership and potentially signals a scheme to perpetuate fuel imports and misappropriate taxpayer funds.

Call for reshuffle in NNPCL

The group has urged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to restructure the NNPCL, advocating enhanced transparency and accountability. According to Isaac, the refinery project has been announced and funded numerous times yet remains “in a state of dormancy.”

Nigeria’s state-owned refineries—Port Harcourt, Kaduna, and Warri—have reportedly been inoperative for years despite billions allocated for maintenance.

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“Every time we are told that the refineries will be repaired and functional, they fail to come to life,” Isaac added, condemning this trend as a deliberate sabotage of Nigeria’s economy.

The APC youths insist on immediate action to halt what they describe as a continuous drain on public resources, warning that any further delays would harm both the nation’s economy and its citizens’ welfare.