News
NNPC exposed as Warri refinery shutdown drags on, P/Harcourt struggles
Industry operators and experts described this as disheartening, while further findings showed that the Port Harcourt Refining Company, which resumed operations in November 2024, has been operating below 40 per cent capacity.
The 125,000 barrels per day capacity Warri refinery, which had been moribund for decades due to technical issues, was brought back to life by the national oil company on December 30, 2024.
Situated in Ekpan, Uwvie, and Ubeji areas of Warri, the petrochemical plant has an annual production capacity of 13,000 metric tonnes of polypropylene and 18,000 metric tonnes of carbon black.
Commissioned in 1978, the WRPC is operated by the NNPC and was established to cater to the markets in Nigeria’s southern and southwestern regions.
President Bola Tinubu had commended the NNPCL for completing the refurbishment of the 125,000-bpd capacity Warri refinery, which reportedly kicked off operations at 60 per cent capacity.
It is focused on producing and storing critical products, including Straight Run Kerosene, Automotive Gas Oil (diesel), and heavy and light Naphtha.
Briefing his team before the tour following the revitalisation, Kyari had said many Nigerians doubt such projects were real or possible in the country, but insisted the revitalisation was genuine and visible.
Kyari said, “We are taking you through our plant. This plant is running. Although it is not 100 per cent complete, we are still in the process. Many people think these things are not real. They think real things are not possible in this country. We want you to see that this is real.
“I must congratulate our team for their determination and extreme belief that this company can restart this plant. This has brought the result we are seeing in collaboration with our contractors. We have proved that it is possible to restart a plant that you deliberately shut down. We have proved this.”
However, the document obtained exclusively from the NMDPRA, providing detailed production data for each refinery in the country, revealed that the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company, with an installed capacity of 125,000 barrels per day, has remained shut since January 25, 2025.
The report linked the shutdown to critical faults in the refinery’s Crude Distillation Unit Main Heater, which raised safety concerns and forced a complete halt in operations.
“The Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company was shut down on 25th Jan. 2025 due to safety concerns over the CDU Main Heater,” the document stated.
It further stated that the Port Harcourt refinery, with a nameplate capacity of 60,000 barrels per day, has been operating at just 37.87 per cent of its installed capacity six months after its long-awaited revitalisation.
The refinery’s monthly production data showed that it produced a monthly average of 82.55 million litres of refined petroleum products between November 2024 and April 2025, 135.45ML less than its estimated optimal production of 218 million litres per month.
The latest development also contradicts claims by the NNPCL spokesperson, Femi Soneye, that the Port Harcourt refinery recommissioned on November 26, 2024, was operating at 70 per cent of its installed capacity, with plans to increase output to 90 per cent in subsequent months.
The refinery’s output consists of Premium Motor Spirit blending components, including Straight-Run Gasoline and Straight-Run Naphtha, as well as Automotive Gas Oil (diesel). The plant, equipped with a Hydrocracker Unit, produced high-value fuels such as jet fuel, Household Kerosene, liquefied petroleum gas, and naphtha.
At its recommissioning, the state-owned firm stated that the Port Harcourt refinery would produce daily outputs of 1.4 million litres of Straight-Run Gasoline blended into Premium Motor Spirit, 900,000 liters of Kerosene, 1.5 million litres of Automotive Gas Oil, 2.1 million litres of Low Pour Fuel Oil, and additional volumes of Liquefied Petroleum Gas.
The $1.5bn rehabilitation project, funded through a loan facility backed by international financial institutions, was projected to restore the state-owned facility to full operational status after years of dormancy and seven postponements.
Recall that several deadlines for the commencement of fuel production at the Port Harcourt refinery, with the latest failure occurring in September 2024, from its earlier target of December 2023.
During the unveiling, NNPC officials embarked on a tour around the facility where they took samples of petrol, diesel, and kerosene. It was stated that about 200 trucks of petrol would be released into the Nigerian market daily.
Similarly, President Tinubu, in celebrating the restart, stated that it would contribute to achieving energy sufficiency, enhancing energy security, and boosting Nigeria’s export capacity.
“In alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda focused on shared economic prosperity for all, the President reaffirms his administration’s commitment to achieving energy sufficiency, enhancing energy security, and boosting export capacity for Nigeria,” a statement by the presidency noted.
Recently, the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria commended the NNPCL for successfully running the revamped Port Harcourt Refinery for 180 days non-stop. The association, in a statement signed by the National Public Relations Officer, Dr Joseph Obele, said the refinery had been dormant for over 20 years.
He said its members were loading diesel and Dual Purpose Kerosene from the refinery, while NNPC Ltd. retail marketers were loading PMS.
Obele said, “It was commissioned in October 2024 and has been running continuously for 180 days, up to March 2025; it is a remarkable feat that underscores the effectiveness of the rehabilitation project.”
But the new document highlighting the refinery’s true state said the facility didn’t exceed 42.23 per cent of its operational capacity within the six-month period. It disclosed that the facility produced more diesel than PMS blending components of Straight-Run Gasoline and Straight-Run Naphtha.
The total production figure was derived from the cumulative output of various refined petroleum products, including the blending components for PMS, AGO, and HKK products. According to oil and gas experts, one barrel of crude, when heated and refined, can produce 159 litres of refined products.
A detailed breakdown revealed that in November, the refinery produced 9.51 million litres, significantly below its operational capacity of 38.16 million litres. This represents a meagre 24.92 per cent utilisation, with a shortfall of 28.65 million litres.
In December, the refinery saw a remarkable increase in production, rising by 1,044 per cent to 108 million litres. However, this output still fell short of the expected monthly production of 286.20 million litres, utilising just 38.01 per cent of its capacity and leaving a substantial shortfall of 177.41 million litres.
In January, the refinery produced 120.91 million litres of refined products, representing just 42.2 per cent of its full 286.20 million-litre capacity, according to production data.
This was followed by a slight decline in February, where 111.81 million litres were produced, equating to 39.1 per cent of the refinery’s total capacity. In March, production further decreased to 100.03 million litres, which accounted for 35 per cent of the expected output for the month.
In the first 13 days of April, the refinery produced 44.24 million litres, amounting to 35.7 per cent of the projected capacity of 124.02 million litres for the month.
A detailed product-by-product analysis of the refinery’s output reveals significant fluctuations in production across various categories. In November, the refinery produced 4.38 million litres of PMS, which surged to 40.32 million litres in December, and continued increasing in January with 41.76 million litres.
However, production dropped to 39.34 million litres in February and 34.21 million litres in March, before falling further to 15.22 million litres in the first 13 days of April.
For AGO, commonly known as diesel, the refinery produced 3.49 million litres in November, with a sharp increase to 40.72 million litres in December. The output then peaked at 55.10 million litres in January, followed by slight decreases to 47.33 million litres in February, 45.38 million litres in March, and 18.96 million litres in the first half of April.
HKK production saw more modest but still notable variations, with 1.64 million litres in November, rising sharply to 27.75 million litres in December. This was followed by a dip to 24.05 million litres in February and 25.14 million litres in March, before declining further to 10.06 million litres in April. This data highlights the refinery’s erratic production pattern across key petroleum products, underlining ongoing challenges in meeting expected outputs and operational efficiency.
The daily average data showed that in November, the facility trucked out an average of 238,080 litres of PMS per day, which spiked to 538,600 litres per day in December. However, the output dropped in January, with a daily average of 275,630 litres of PMS and 347,380 litres of diesel. In February, the refinery produced 85,480 litres of PMS and 639,240 litres of diesel on average per day, marking another dip in PMS production.
Remarkably, the refinery recorded zero litres of PMS evacuation in both March and April, underscoring a significant shortfall. In contrast, diesel production increased sharply, with a daily average of 865,110 litres in March and 968,460 litres in the first half of April.
On its part, the Warri refinery, which has remained shut for four months, produced 1.96ml of AGO, 2.84ml of HKK in December and 10ml of AGO and 12ml of HKK in January 2025.
When contacted the NNPCL spokesperson declined to comment on the issue. Questions sent to his WhatsApp line were not answered. But Soneye, in a statement released in February, had admitted that the facility was undergoing a planned routine maintenance programme aimed at ensuring optimal operations.
According to him, operations at WRPC were halted to carry out repairs for efficient service delivery. He added that routine maintenance was progressing and operations would be back in the next few days.
The statement read, “NNPC Ltd wishes to clarify that there was no explosion at the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company. Any reports suggesting otherwise are completely false.
“On January 25, 2025, operations at WRPC Area 1 were intentionally curtailed to carry out necessary intervention works on select equipment, including field instruments that were impacting sustainable and steady operations.
“These intervention works are essential to ensure the production of specification finished and intermediate products, particularly Automotive Gas Oil and Kerosene. The routine maintenance is progressing as planned, and 1 will be back in operation within the next few days.”
By Our Correspondent
ENUGU — Two families were left homeless on Saturday after a fire destroyed two flats in a two-storey building located at No. 22 Church Road, Asata, in Enugu metropolis.
The fire, which started at about 10 a.m., reportedly broke out after the occupants of the affected upper-floor flats had left for their daily activities.
Although the cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained as of the time of filing this report, eyewitnesses said the inferno completely destroyed household items and other valuables in the affected apartments.
One of the victims, who returned home while the building was engulfed in flames, reportedly collapsed after seeing the extent of the damage. He was revived by sympathisers at the scene.
The victim, said to be an employee of one of the higher institutions in Enugu State and nearing retirement, lamented that years of hard work had been wiped out by the incident.
According to him, the fire destroyed all his household property, including important documents and certificates, leaving him with no option but to relocate his family to his ancestral home.
“All I have worked for all these years is gone,” he said in tears.
No life was lost in the incident, but residents appealed to the Enugu State Government, emergency management agencies and public-spirited individuals to come to the aid of the affected families, even as they urged the authorities to investigate the cause of the fire.
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), the apex students governing body, has issued a four days ultimatum to South African business interests to evacuate Nigeria.
This is contained in a statement issued on Monday in Enugu by Comrade Amb. Bestman Okereafor, NANS National Executive Director, Cooperate and Private Sectors Engagement.
The statement said that after the expiration of the ultimatum, South African business interests would face full wrath of the over 43.1 million Nigerian students scattered in the nooks and crannies of the country.
“The attention of the apex students governing body, NANS, has been drawn to continuous attacks, intimidation and subsequent chase of law abiding, peaceful and hardworking Nigerians and other Africans from South Africa.
“As the biggest students body in Africa, we are giving South African business interests four days to evacuate our beloved country, Nigeria.
“The reason for this action is simple. South Africans cannot continue to oppress and chase our people from their country and expect their businesses to thrive on our soil,” it said.
The statement further noted that immediately after expiration of the ultimatum, NANS will consider picketing South Africa business interests, while further actions will follow.”
It called on the Federal Government of Nigeria and the African Union (AU) to take more decisive actions against South Africa for their inimical acts towards other Africans.
“It is on record that Nigeria played a major role in support of South Africa during the apartheid struggle and should never be paid with disloyalty, disrespect and global embarrassment,” it added.
It would be recalled that xenophobic attack by South Africans on other Africans for some months had led to Nigerians being physically assaulted, embarrassed, intimidated, injured and some gruesomely murdered.
Several Nigeria business interests and business premises, owned by law abiding Nigerians in South Africa, had been completely burnt down or destroyed by rampaging South Africans without any justification.
The alleged perpetrators of these crimes had earlier given Nigerians and other Africans an ultimatum of June 30 to leave South Africa.
The Federal Government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had in recent weeks airlifted hundreds of Nigerians, who are willing to leave the unfriendly country and her people, free of charge back to Nigeria.
However, some of those, who returned to Nigeria recently, left South Africa barely with the cloth they put on, losing savings, valuables and businesses they set up or acquired after many years.
A man identified as Gospel Uebari Kinanee, who disappeared in 2007 at the age of 14, has been found alive after spending 18 years in detention at the Port Harcourt Maximum Security Correctional Centre.
According to reports, Gospel was allegedly taken into custody by suspected security operatives and detained without trial, formal charges, or any case file.
Before his disappearance, he had gone out to play near his home in Ogoni, Rivers State, in 2007 and never returned. His family launched an extensive search, visiting police stations, mortuaries, and even the same correctional facility where he was unknowingly being held. Unable to cope with the uncertainty and anguish, both of his parents reportedly died during the years-long search.
His family and advocates were unable to locate him because he had been wrongly registered by the correctional facility under the name “Baridi Sunday” instead of his real name, Gospel Uebari Kinanee.
His ordeal came to light during a prison outreach programme conducted by the Haven360 Foundation, where he was identified as one of several “ghost prisoners”—individuals detained without proper legal documentation.
Gospel was subsequently released by the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Amadi, during a jail delivery exercise aimed at decongesting correctional facilities.
Now in his 30s, Gospel is reportedly battling severe mental and psychological health challenges following his prolonged detention.
His family is pursuing a ₦10 billion lawsuit against the Federal Government and the Rivers State Government, seeking justice and compensation for his alleged unlawful detention.
News
18 LG Chairmen, 22 Exco Members, 28 Aspirants Shun “Kangaroo Grand Entry,” Pledge Loyalty to Anosike
In a fresh show of solidarity within the Anambra State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), sixteen Local Government Chairmen, twenty-two State Executive Committee members, and twenty-eight aspirants across the state have distanced themselves from what they described as a “kangaroo grand entry,” reaffirming their allegiance to the state chairman, Senator Emma Anosike.
The mass show of support comes amid lingering tension in the party following a controversial court process that had sought to challenge Anosike’s leadership , a move the state APC executive had earlier dismissed as a “kangaroo judgment” lacking the backing of genuine party stakeholders.
Sources within the party say the boycotted event, tagged a “Grand Entry,” was organized by a faction opposed to the current leadership, apparently in an attempt to project an alternative structure and challenge the legitimacy of Anosike’s executive. However, the near-total absence of substantive party officials at the event has been read by observers as a clear indication that the rival faction lacks the grassroots backing it claims to have.
In separate statements, the affected chairmen, exco members, and aspirants said their decision to stay away was a deliberate stand against what they called an orchestrated distraction targeted at the “constitutionally recognized” leadership of the party in the state. They restated their commitment to the Anosike-led executive, insisting that the chairman and his team remain the only legitimate authority running the affairs of the APC in Anambra.
Party loyalists argue that the scale of the boycott — spanning local government administration, the state working committee, and aspiring candidates — sends a strong signal about where the balance of support lies within the party’s grassroots structure. They maintain that any parallel structure or gathering outside the recognized leadership amounts to a distraction that will not derail the party’s preparations for the National Assembly, State Assembly, and local government polls.
As of press time, the organizers of the “Grand Entry” have yet to respond publicly to the mass boycott, while the Anosike-led executive is expected to address the development formally in the coming days.
For many Nigerians hoping to relocate abroad, 2026 has presented both new opportunities and tougher challenges.
Several traditional migration destinations, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and parts of Europe, have tightened immigration policies through stricter visa rules, tougher residency requirements and increased scrutiny of foreign applicants.
These changes have made relocation more difficult for many prospective students, skilled workers and families.
However, not every country is moving in the same direction.
Driven by labour shortages, ageing populations, economic growth plans and regional integration efforts, a number of countries have introduced visa reforms, new work permit schemes, residency pathways and visa-free travel policies that could make it easier for Nigerians to live, work or travel abroad.
Here are 9 countries that have introduced measures in 2026 that could improve relocation opportunities for Nigerians.
Canada
Canada has introduced new permanent residency pathways specifically for internationally trained medical doctors, including Nigerians.
The initiative expands access to permanent residency through Express Entry and provincial or territorial immigration programmes. Qualified doctors can also begin working while their immigration applications are being processed, helping to address the country’s healthcare workforce shortage.
Russia
Russia launched a new Skilled Worker Visa programme to attract foreign professionals into sectors facing acute labour shortages.
The programme allows eligible applicants to obtain a three-year temporary residence permit or apply directly for permanent residency. It also removes the mandatory Russian language examination and aims to process applications within 30 days.
Ìreland
Ireland expanded its employment permit system by introducing 32 reforms aimed at filling vacancies across critical sectors.
The changes affect industries including healthcare, construction, agriculture, transport, food production and specialist services. More occupations have been added to the Critical Skills Employment Permit list, giving skilled Nigerian workers greater access to employment and long-term residency opportunities.
Lithuania
Lithuania overhauled its work permit system with a fully digital application platform to attract foreign talent.
The country also replaced sector-specific labour quotas with a unified national quota, simplifying recruitment for employers and creating new opportunities in more than 100 occupations experiencing worker shortages.
Greece
Greece revised its Digital Nomad Visa programme to provide a clearer pathway for remote workers.
Applicants must now obtain a 12-month Digital Nomad Visa before travelling, which can later be converted into a two-year residence permit. The reforms provide greater legal certainty for freelancers, entrepreneurs and remote employees seeking long-term residence.
Spain approved a large-scale regularisation programme aimed at granting legal status to hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants already living in the country.
Eligible applicants can obtain renewable work permits and legal residency, allowing them to work across sectors such as hospitality, tourism, agriculture and other service industries.
Ghana
Ghana introduced visa-free entry for all African citizens from May 25, 2026.
Under the new policy, Nigerians can travel to Ghana without obtaining a traditional visa, instead using a free electronic travel authorisation. The initiative is expected to boost tourism, trade, business and regional integration across Africa.
Togo
Togo removed visa requirements for all African passport holders.
Nigerians and other African travellers can now enter the country without a visa for stays of up to 30 days, provided they meet applicable immigration, health and security requirements. The move is expected to encourage tourism, business travel and regional commerce.
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo has announced plans to introduce visa-free entry for all African nationals from January 2027.
Although the policy has not yet taken effect, it signals the country’s commitment to improving intra-African mobility and regional integration. Once implemented, Nigerians will be able to visit without undergoing traditional visa application procedures.
Growing opportunities despite tougher migration rules.
While many popular destinations continue to tighten immigration policies, several countries are opening new pathways for skilled workers, healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs, remote workers and African travellers.
For Nigerians planning to relocate, these reforms offer alternative destinations with improved access to employment, residency and cross-border mobility, although applicants should always review each country’s official immigration requirements before making relocation plans.
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