The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has accused the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, of neglecting the stalled revival of the Port Harcourt refinery.
This came as two northern groups, the Arewa Community for Empowerment and Development and the Arewa Consultative Youth Movement, sued NNPCL’s Chief Financial Officer, Dapo Segun, at the Federal High Court in Kaduna over his alleged “direct and supervisory role” in the failed rehabilitation of Nigeria’s refineries and the controversial acquisition of OVH Energy.
In a statement on Monday, PETROAN’s Zonal Chairman for System 2E (Eastern Zone), Sunny Nkpe, expressed alarm at the “slow pace of activity” at the Old Port Harcourt Refinery (Area 5), which was shut on May 24, 2025, for scheduled 30-day repairs.
Nkpe, who visited the facility over the weekend, said he was shocked to find that Ojulari had not visited the site since assuming office four months ago. He alleged that contractors on site complained of being owed for over a year, despite nearing completion of repairs on Units 12 and 14 of the cracking and blending plants before the leadership change.
“The lack of commitment from the current GCEO suggests a deliberate push to give private refineries a monopoly to exploit Nigerians with outrageous petroleum prices,” Nkpe alleged, warning that thousands of tanker drivers and marketers remain out of work due to the shutdown.
He urged Ojulari to prioritise the refinery’s revival, saying its operation would help stabilise fuel prices across Aba, Enugu, Makurdi, and other major cities, and reduce the dominance of private operators. Nkpe also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene, describing the delay as “orchestrated” by vested interests.
Efforts to obtain NNPCL’s response were unsuccessful, as the company has no spokesperson and listed phone numbers were unreachable.
Meanwhile, in Kaduna, the two northern groups filed suit FHC/KD/CS/101/2025, seeking an Order of Mandamus to compel the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate, arrest, and prosecute Segun. The plaintiffs accused the EFCC, the Department of State Services, and the Tinubu administration of shielding Segun, despite detaining former northern executives of NNPCL over similar issues.
The groups argue that Segun, as former Executive Vice President (Downstream), presided over both the refinery projects and the OVH Energy acquisition, with billions spent but no results to reduce the nation’s dependence on imported petroleum products.
They are also seeking interim orders for Segun to step aside as CFO, refrain from official duties, and avoid tampering with documents relevant to the investigation.
Nigeria’s three state-owned refineries — in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna — have been largely comatose for years despite multi-billion-dollar rehabilitation contracts. The $1.5 billion Port Harcourt overhaul announced in 2021 has yet to deliver results, keeping the country reliant on imported petrol, diesel, and aviation fuel.
The OVH Energy acquisition in 2022 expanded NNPCL Retail’s network, but critics say it has done little to improve domestic supply security.
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