Nigeria’s downstream fuel sector group has praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s push to revive the country’s refining industry, pointing to a fresh agreement involving the state oil company as a potential turning point for domestic capacity and imports.
Key takeaways
- PETROAN commended President Tinubu’s administration for efforts aimed at revitalising Nigeria’s refining sector.
- The group highlighted NNPCL’s signing of a memorandum of understanding with Chinese companies to support rehabilitation, restart and expansion of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.
- PETROAN said the proposed technical equity partnership approach could improve operational discipline, efficiency and accountability.
- The association framed the move as a shift toward a performance-based model designed for long-term sustainability.
- It argued the initiative could help restore refining output and cut Nigeria’s reliance on imported petroleum products.
- PETROAN also cited job creation as a major expected benefit from the Port Harcourt and Warri projects.
PETROAN lauds Tinubu as NNPCL advances refinery plans
The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) said it welcomed what it described as bold and strategic actions to breathe new life into the nation’s refining capabilities. In a statement issued on Monday, PETROAN’s spokesperson, Joseph Obele, linked the industry’s outlook to recent progress by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
Obele specifically drew attention to an MoU signed by NNPCL with Chinese firms Sanjiang Chemical Company Limited and Xingcheng (Fuzhou) Industrial Park Operation and Management Co. Limited. The agreement is intended to accelerate rehabilitation, restart efforts, and expansion work for the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.
A technical equity model and a shift in approach
PETROAN’s National President, Billy Gillis-Harry, described the deal as timely and strategically important, saying it points to a new direction for Nigeria’s refining sector. He argued that bringing in a technical equity partnership structure could introduce the operational discipline, efficiency, and accountability that he said were missing in earlier refinery rehabilitation attempts.
Gillis-Harry added that the initiative marks a decisive departure from past methods that produced limited results, shifting toward a model he characterised as more performance-driven—one intended to support sustainability over the long term. In PETROAN’s view, the MoU is a critical step toward rebuilding Nigeria’s refining capacity and easing the country’s overdependence on imported petroleum products.
Expected impact: capacity gains and more jobs
Beyond capacity restoration, PETROAN said successful rehabilitation and expansion of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries would bring broad benefits, including significant job creation. The association also reiterated that NNPCL had recently signed the memorandum of understanding with the Chinese counterpart companies to restart the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.
