We’ll Demand Your Removal” — PETROAN Threatens NNPCL Boss Over Refinery Delay

The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has strongly criticised the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, over his remarks on the Port Harcourt Refinery.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Ojulari had previously stated that the refinery was shut down due to heavy financial losses and urged Nigerians to be grateful for the Dangote Refinery, describing it as a “breathing space” while state-owned refineries remain non-operational.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, PETROAN’s National Public Relations Officer, Joseph Obele, faulted the NNPC boss for using the failure of a public asset to justify praise for a private refinery. He argued that Nigerians should not be asked to be “thankful” simply because a privately owned facility is functioning.

While acknowledging the strategic value and remarkable achievement of the Dangote Refinery, Obele stressed that private investment cannot replace the constitutional and economic responsibility of the government to properly manage public assets.

“Dangote Refinery is a private, profit-driven venture built on efficiency. NNPC, however, holds national assets in trust for Nigerians. The success of one should never be used to excuse the failure of the other,” he said.

Obele warned that repeated public admissions of failure by NNPC leadership could damage investor confidence, weaken Nigeria’s energy security, and undermine years of policy efforts aimed at boosting local refining capacity, stabilising fuel prices, and creating jobs.

He urged Ojulari to recognise that his appointment was meant to fix problems, “not to hide behind the success of a private refinery.”

Describing as “deeply troubling” the suggestion that there is no urgency to revive the Port Harcourt Refinery because Dangote is currently supplying fuel, Obele said such remarks were unacceptable and showed a lack of solution-driven leadership.

“Nigeria cannot continue to normalise waste, institutional failure, or justify poor decisions after the fact,” he said.

Obele added that admitting failure only has value when it is followed by accountability, reforms, and a clear, credible plan to prevent a recurrence.

He further disclosed that PETROAN would mobilise civil society organisations and relevant stakeholders to explore legal avenues to demand the removal of the NNPC GCEO if the Port Harcourt Refinery fails to resume operations on or before March 1, 2026.

He warned that considering the huge sums already spent on rehabilitation, prolonged shutdown could lead to rust, corrosion, and equipment damage, ultimately rendering the entire revamp effort useless without urgent intervention.

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