The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has insisted that the Old Port Harcourt Refinery is up and running, with loading operations in full swing.
The NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr Mele Kyari, stated this at the commissioning of the NUPENG Towers in Lagos, on Wednesday.
In a goodwill message at the event, Kyari extended invitation to human rights activist and lawyer, Mr Femi Falana SAN and all those in doubt, to join the NNPCL on a tour of the refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna to verify their status.
He also shed light on the controversy around products blending, stating that blending was not a crime as it is an integral part of the refining process.
Kyari stated in a release by the NNPCL Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye: “If you don’t blend, you will bring out off-spec products which will destroy your vehicles.
“Every refinery blends because what is on specification in the United States of America will be off-spec in Nigeria and elsewhere. Blending is necessary to bring products to the specification of different countries or regions.”
Kyari congratulated NUPENG on the successful completion of the NUPENG Towers and urged the union to continue to prioritise dialogue and co-operation in its relationship with NNPCL and the Federal Government.
He disclosed that the intervention of President Bola Tinubu interventions in the oil and gas industry by way of Executive Orders were yielding positive results.
The NNPCL GCEO also disclosed that, through the interventions, more investments were coming in and prospects of more jobs in the industry.
