The Port-Harcourt refinery will start running by the second quarter of 2023, according to a statement made on Thursday by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPC Ltd). Danladi Inuwa, the Executive Vice President of the Company, made this announcement in Abuja during a Tedran Consulting-sponsored sensitization workshop with the theme “Understanding Our National Oil Company Post-Petroleum Industry Act.” He stated that the workshop’s goal is to educate Nigerians on how a profit-driven corporation makes decisions.

The restoration of three refineries, according to the NNPC, will boost dependence on natural gas while reducing fuel scarcity at the Warri and Kaduna stations.

According to Inuwa, the company has been able to invest in infrastructure and launch numerous corporate responsibility programmes to promote development while maintaining energy security. This has been made possible by being a limited liability corporation.

He said: “We are working to revamp our refineries, for instance, the Port-Harcourt refinery will be functioning by the second quarter of 2023, the area five of the refinery will be functioning. Also, Warri and Kaduna refineries will have been signed on a quick rehabilitation to refine our petroleum product in the country.”

Olalekan Edwards, President of Tedran Consulting, addressed concerns regarding public involvement in influencing important project decisions in host communities in his speech.

He said: “The accurate picture here is we want to change the narrative from protest to participation. We most times address them at the aftereffect of misapplication of funds or projects that are not in developmental the communities, so we have decided to rise up.”