Ideato Stakeholders Applaud Kyari for Refineries Revival, NNPCL Transition, and Increased Crude Production

Stakeholders in the Ideato North/South federal constituency of Imo State have lauded Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), for his remarkable achievements in revitalizing the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, overseeing the transition of NNPCL, and boosting Nigeria’s crude oil production.

The leaders passed a unanimous vote of confidence in Kyari for his pivotal role in reactivating the refineries, increasing crude production, and ensuring the successful transition of NNPCL.

During an end-of-year media engagement, the stakeholders commended both Kyari and Aliko Dangote, the President and CEO of Dangote Group, for their contributions to transforming the downstream oil sector.

Maxwell Aleto, their spokesperson, issued a statement expressing gratitude for Kyari’s leadership. “We, the stakeholders in Ideato federal constituency, after carefully observing the positive changes in Nigeria’s energy sector, hereby pass a vote of confidence on Mele Kyari, whose leadership has led to the successful transition of NNPCL, the reactivation of key refineries, and a significant increase in crude oil production,” Aleto said.

The statement highlighted key developments under Kyari’s leadership, such as the revitalization of the Port Harcourt Refinery, which has two refining units capable of processing 210,000 barrels of crude oil per day (bpd). The NNPCL had announced that the refinery had resumed crude oil processing, and soon, refined petroleum products will be delivered to the market, improving fuel supply.

Furthermore, the stakeholders praised the reopening of the Warri Refinery, which has a distillation capacity of 125,000 bpd and a petrochemical plant producing polypropylene and carbon black. On December 30, 2024, NNPCL and President Bola Tinubu announced that the Warri Refinery had resumed operations after years of dormancy and was now running at 60% capacity.

The stakeholders also recognized Aliko Dangote for his significant contributions, particularly the Dangote Refinery, the world’s largest single-train refinery with a capacity of 650,000 bpd, inaugurated in May 2023. Since September 2024, the refinery has been producing petrol, initially supplying 25 million liters per day, with plans to increase production to 35 million liters daily. This refinery is expected to play a crucial role in reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imported fuel.

The combined efforts of Kyari and Dangote, according to the stakeholders, are already yielding positive results. The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) acknowledged that the competition between Dangote’s and NNPCL’s refineries contributed to the recent drop in the pump price of petrol (PMS), further proving the effectiveness of these developments.