The Host Community Bulk Petroleum Retailers Association (HOSCOM PETBRA) has accused the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, of making decisions that favor a private refinery over the Port Harcourt Refinery.
The group reacted to Ojulari’s recent comments during a courtesy visit by leaders of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN). Ojulari said he shut the Port Harcourt Refinery after finding it financially unsustainable. He explained that the closure would remain in place while he sought a lasting solution.
Hoscom rejected the explanation. The association said the remarks confirmed its suspicion that the shutdown was deliberate. It accused Ojulari of misleading the public by describing the closure as “routine maintenance” or a “sustainability assessment.” According to the group, the move gave private refiners an unfair edge and left Nigerians exposed to higher fuel costs.
The association argued that, despite billions of dollars spent on rehabilitation, the refinery could have operated at partial capacity during the review. It stressed that government-owned refineries serve as price-control tools. By shutting them, NNPCL removed a key safeguard against private operators.
Hoscom also faulted NNPCL for citing its equity in the Dangote Refinery while neglecting state-owned plants. The group revealed that NNPCL holds only 7.2 percent in the Dangote facility, not the 20 percent originally agreed, because it failed to pay the balance.
The association said it was unacceptable that $1.5 billion had been spent on the Port Harcourt plant without production. It joined PENGASSAN in calling for the full rehabilitation of Nigeria’s four refineries. Hoscom urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to act quickly to restore them, stabilize prices, grow the economy, and create jobs.