The Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited Mele Kyari, has clarified that blending petroleum products at the Port Harcourt refinery is not a crime, as some have suggested.
Speaking at the commissioning of the NUPENG Towers in Lagos on Wednesday, Kyari confirmed that the refinery is fully operational, with crude oil processing and loading of petroleum products now underway.
The Port Harcourt refinery, which had been dormant for several years, resumed crude oil processing on November 26. The facility is currently producing straight-run petrol (naphtha), which is blended into 1.4 million liters of petrol daily. Despite this progress, some Nigerians have raised concerns about the blending process, questioning why the refinery is not directly refining crude as expected.
Addressing these concerns, Kyari explained that blending is an essential part of the refining process. He emphasized that without blending, refineries would produce off-spec products, which could damage vehicles. “Every refinery blends because products that meet specifications in one region may not meet the specifications in another,” he stated. He further explained that blending is necessary to adjust products to regional specifications, such as those required in Nigeria.
Kyari invited skeptics, including prominent figures like human rights lawyer Femi Falana, to tour the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries to see for themselves the status of the facilities and their operations.
The NNPC GCEO also congratulated NUPENG on the successful completion of the NUPENG Towers and called for continued dialogue and cooperation between the union, NNPC, and the federal government. He highlighted that the Nigerian Government’s interventions in the oil and gas sector, through executive orders, are fostering positive outcomes, including increased investments and job prospects in the industry.
