"Port Harcourt Refinery": Nigeria 'dead' oil refinery goment approve billions [$1.5bn] to repair
Port Harcourt Refinery Company - Nigeria 56 year old crude oil refinery wey never make 'shi-shi' - profit for years years just receive approval for goment to spen billions of money to repair am and di move divide opinions for di west African kontri.
Port Harcourt Refinery na Nigeria oldest. Dem built in 1965, nine years after dem first find crude oil under di creeks of Niger Delta. Nigeria Federal Executive Council on Wednesday 17 March, 2021 for $1.5 billion to sharply begin repairs. While some dey get hope say dis time di rehabilitation go work, odas believe say dis na repetition of goment intervention wey no dey eva work since 20 years now. Nigeria, one of Africa biggest producer of crude oil, don dey struggle for many years to maintain di four refineries wey dey located for Port Harcourt, Kaduna and Warri; and ova di years different leaders don announce plans to rehabilitate dem but dem no eva succeed. Port Harcourt refinery alone get di capacity to produce 210,000 barrels per day, but wuru-wuru and lack of maintenance to allow di kontri to meet up. Flow station Di Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), dey totori say di $1.5 billion loan wey di goment collect to repair di Port Harcourt refinery na based on di condition say na private sector must to manage am. National Operations controller of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Mike Osatuyi, tell BBC say wetin make dis decision "very good and wey make us get confidence be say di Minister say dem give di loan on condition say private sector must to manage am afta dem rehabilate am. And dat give some hope say e no go-go as usual becos nobody go prove to me say all di repair wey we don dey do di moni no be waste." According to Nigeria Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Slyva, na one Italian company Tecnimont SPA, go do di rehabilitation. And e go happun in three phases; di first go end in 28 months, di second in 24 months and di third phase go finish after 44 months, di minister tok. Oga Osatuyi say dem get hope dis time becos na private company. "Private system go do di work sharp sharp, but if na goment e go take dem many years to do di rehabilitation becos goment dey come and go and dem dey change policy from time to time," im tok. But Atiku Abubakar Nigeria former Vice-President and businessman, describe di goment decision as "suspicious." Atiku argue say, Nigeria dey for "critical period" right now wit unemployment rate increasing to 33% and inflation don hit 17%. So dis na time to manage any income wey di kontri generate and even If dem go borrow dem must do am responsibly, Atiku add. [Port Harcourt Refinery repairs] So na wetin be di facts wey dey make Nigerians react to dis goment decision? Port Harcourt Refinery no dey make moni Port Harcourt Refinery Company for Rivers state south south of di kontri na di biggest refinery for di kontri. Di company get two refineries; dem commission di refinery for 1965 while dem commission di second one thirty-two (32) years ago for 1989. Di refinery like all di oda refineries for di kontri don dey out of service and e neva make any moni for so many years now. For 2019, di refinery lost 167 billion naira. Pipo wey dey against to rehabilitation dey argue say e no make sense to put moni for wetin don die. Nigeria bin plan to sell Port Harcourt Refinery to fund 2021 budget E neva too tey wey Federal Government bin decide to sell more dan 36 of im properties alias national assests including di three refineries to finance di 2021 budget, but now dem decide to maintain di Port Harcourt Refinery. Vandalise pipeline Port Harcourt refinery alone get di capacity to produce 210,000 barrels per day, but wuru-wuru and lack of maintenance to allow di kontri to meet up. E dey very difficult to send crude oil to di refineries becos vandals don completely scata di pipelines. For many years hoodlums bin de yenta inside bushes and forests wia pipelines run through for different parts of di kontri to destroy den steal crude and refined oil. Turnaround maintenance This no be di first time wey goment dey do throw moni to rehabilitate di PH refinery. None of di refineries don get any serious maintenance service since 2008, di last turnaround maintenance happun for 2000. For 2019 di Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation announce say dem don begin first stage of rehabilitation of di PH refinery. Dis work wey suppose be major turnaround bin dey come 19 years afta di last turnaround. So far, di kontri don spend reach about $25 billion for turnaround maintenance inside 25 years according to Business Day. Port Harcourt Refinery vs Dangote Private refinery Although di Nigerian goment don dey struggle for many years to make di refineries operate for maximum capacity once again, dem neva fit achieve am. But one private Nigerian business man Aliko Dangote nearly complete Africa biggest private refinery for Lagos inside four years. Wen e begin function, di expectation be say di refinery go produce 650,000 barresl per day of petrochemical products.