The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPCL) has upheld its commitment to transparency by dismissing claims made by a so-called ‘Community Person’, Timothy Mgbere. The NNPCL has deemed his statements as ‘a crass display of ignorance’ and has taken the necessary steps to correct the misinformation regarding the operational status of the newly revamped Port Harcourt Refinery Company. This reaffirms the NNPCL’s commitment to keeping its stakeholders informed and involved in its operations.
Mgbere, who, in a recent television interview, the clip of which has since gone viral on social media, falsely claimed that the newly restreamed Port Harcourt Refinery is operating skeletally and not processing PMS. However, in a swift reaction, the NNPCL, in a statement by its Chief Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, attributed Mbere false claims to his scant knowledge of the Old Port Harcourt Refinery operations. The NNPCL further clarified that the refinery operates at 90 per cent throughput, producing Straight-Run Gasoline (Naphtha) blended into 1.4million litres of PMS, aside from other products like diesel and kerosene.
The NNPCL, in a statement, reaffirmed its dedication to its operations, stating,” The nameplate capacity of the refinery is 60,000 barrels of oil per day. It currently produces at 90 per cent throughout, which translates to Straight-Run Gasoline (Naphtha) blended into 1.4million litres of PMS, aside from other products like diesel and kerosene.” This solid performance is a testament to the NNPCL’s capabilities and commitment to its operations.
Mgbere’s attempt to discredit the NNPCL’s latest achievement was based on a misunderstanding. He claimed that the PMS truck-out was done at the gantry of the New Port Harcourt Refinery, not realizing that the Old and New Port Harcourt Refineries have been integrated. They now share a single terminal for product load-out and common utilities like power and storage tanks. This means that the storage tanks and loading gantry, which Mgbere claimed to belong to the New Port-Harcourt Refinery, can also receive products from the Old Port Harcourt Refinery.
The NNPCL could not have ignored the false claims by Mgbere since they have easily gained traction on social media because of the rampant appetite of many of its users for fake news being spread by the detractors of the Mele Kyari-led management of the NNPCL
Therefore, the NNPCL called on the general public to disregard such claims of self-styled “‘community person’ which are obviously borne out of sheer mischief and blatant display of ignorance.”
