NNPCL Under Fire Over Alleged $3.5bn Spent on Port Harcourt, Warri, Kaduna Refineries

NNPCL has come under fire over alleged $3.5bn spent on Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna Refineries.

 

NewsOnline Nigeria reports that an energy expert and accountability advocate, Tekeme Umukoro, has called on the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to provide a detailed account of funds allegedly spent on the turnaround maintenance of the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries.

 

Umukoro made the demand in a statement issued on Thursday, following the recent announcement by the NNPCL that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chinese firms aimed at restarting Nigeria’s state-owned refineries.

 

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Reacting to the development, the accountability advocate questioned the rationale behind entering another refinery rehabilitation agreement without first explaining how previous funds allocated to the projects were utilised.

 

According to him, Nigerians deserve transparency regarding the alleged $3.5 billion reportedly spent on refinery repairs over the years, insisting that the country cannot continue to witness repeated promises without tangible results.

 

Umukoro criticized what he described as a recurring pattern of waste, secrecy, and failed refinery rehabilitation efforts in Nigeria’s oil sector.

 

He said the latest agreement with Chinese firms has again raised concerns over accountability and transparency, especially considering previous multi-billion-dollar commitments that failed to revive the facilities.

 

“We have gathered here today because Nigeria can no longer continue to tolerate a dangerous cycle of waste, opacity, and endless promises in the management of the nation’s refineries,” he stated.

 

“Nigerians have repeatedly been told that the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries were being revived, only for those promises to collapse under the weight of poor execution, secrecy, and lack of accountability,” he added.

 

The statement comes amid renewed public scrutiny of Nigeria’s refinery sector and ongoing concerns over the country’s continued dependence on imported petroleum products despite years of rehabilitation efforts on government-owned refineries.