The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria has accused the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Bayo Ojulari, of neglecting the revival of the Port Harcourt refinery.
This came as two prominent northern groups dragged the Chief Financial Officer of NNPC, Mr Dapo Segun, before the Federal High Court in Kaduna over what they described as his “direct and supervisory role” in the failed rehabilitation of the nation’s refineries and the controversial acquisition of OVH Energy.
PETROAN’s Zonal Chairman for System 2E (Eastern Zone), Sunny Nkpe, said in a statement on Monday that he was alarmed at the slow pace of work at the Old Port Harcourt Refinery (Area 5), which was shut down on May 24, 2025, for a 30-day scheduled repair.
Nkpe said he visited the Port Harcourt Refinery rehabilitation site last weekend as part of his oversight for fact-finding and was worried to see “the slow pace of activity” at the site. Nkpe was said to have expressed concerns that Ojulari had yet to visit the facility since he assumed office as the GCEO.
“The current Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC, Bayo Ojulari, has not yet visited the Port Harcourt Refinery physically within four months in office, indicating a lack of passion for the functionality of the Port Harcourt refinery,” Nkpe was quoted in the statement.
He said contractors at the rehabilitation site complained of being owed for over 12 months. He recalled that repairs on the cracking and blending plants of Units 12 and 14 were almost complete when the new NNPC boss came on board.
“The contractors lamented that they are owed for over 12 months without funding. All was set for the Old Port Harcourt Refinery to commence production as the necessary repairs scheduled for the cracking and blending plant of Unit 12 and Unit 14 of the old refinery were almost completed before the new Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC gave no commitment and showed lack of interest, which signals support to give a competitive advantage to private refineries to gain monopoly and exploit Nigerians with outrageous prices for petroleum products,” Nkpe alleged.
The PETROAN zonal chairman said he would consult with other stakeholders in the midstream. The consultations, he said, would involve petroleum tanker drivers, independent marketers, oil and gas suppliers, and others. He claimed that thousands of tanker drivers, as well as marketers, were out of business because the refinery was shut down.
“Thousands of tanker drivers are out of jobs, including staff of PETROAN and IPMAN, and it is imperative that we agree on legitimate options to call for the revival of the Port Harcourt refinery,” he stressed.
He maintained that restarting the plant would “stabilise the price of petroleum products and reduce the dominance of private refineries,” noting that the facility was key to supplying petroleum products to Aba, Enugu, Makurdi, and other major cities. Nkpe urged the NNPC GCEO to give the Port Harcourt refinery “top priority attention.”
He also called on President Bola Tinubu to “direct immediate action to revive the Port Harcourt refinery,” warning that “such unnecessary delays look orchestrated and appear to be coming from vested interests who intend to sabotage the vision of Mr President.”
Recalling the impact of the seven months the refinery operated, Nkpe said, “Economic activities regained their boom, petty traders within the host communities celebrated, and jobs were also created. Above all, the prices of petroleum products were stable and on average, hence competition was at its peak.”
The retailer said he was “super excited” when Ojulari, a technocrat coming from Shell Oil Plc, was appointed NNPC GCEO. “However, I am shocked by his inability to show capacity in reviving the old Port Harcourt refinery, which was supposed to be fixed witgin 30 days since May 24, 2025,” he added.
On whether stakeholders would support calls for Ojulari’s sack for shutting down the distribution network, Nkpe replied, “I will wait for the holistic decision of stakeholders before further comments.”
Nonetheless, he stressed that stakeholders are ready to support the reform agenda of Tinubu and “will not sit to see any person or group of people frustrating the efforts of Mr President in making the refinery functional.”
Efforts to obtain a response from the national oil firm on the matter were unsuccessful, as the firm still lacks a spokesperson. Additionally, the telephone numbers listed on its website were not reachable when dialed.
In a related development, Two northern groups dragged NNPC’s Financial Officer, Dapo Segun, before the Federal High Court in Kaduna over his “direct and supervisory role” in the failed rehabilitation of the nation’s refineries and the controversial acquisition of OVH Energy.
Segun, who previously served as Executive Vice President, Downstream, at the NNPC, is accused of presiding over both projects — with billions of dollars allegedly committed — without delivering results that could end Nigeria’s decades-long dependence on imported petroleum products.
The plaintiffs, the Arewa Community for Empowerment and Development and the Arewa Consultative Youth Movement, insist that Segun should not only be investigated but also sacked, arrested, and prosecuted. They claim his continued stay in office amounts to “an insult to accountability and justice” given the magnitude of the alleged failures.
The groups, speaking through their leaders after filing the suit in Kaduna on Monday, accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and the Department of State Services of “shielding” Segun from investigation, even as they allegedly “harass” former northern executives of the NNPC over the same issues.
“If the EFCC can arrest and detain former northern NNPC management staff over these same projects, then Dapo Segun, who presided over them as EVP Downstream, must also face the law,” the President of the Arewa Consultative Youth Movement, Kabiru Yusuf, declared. “We cannot have two sets of rules — one for northerners and another for others.”
The groups said they represent youths from 19 northern states who are “tired of selective justice” in the oil and gas sector. Filed by their counsel, Ahmed Yusuf, Esq., the suit — marked FHC/KD/CS/101/2025 — lists the EFCC as the first respondent and Segun as the second respondent.
The plaintiffs are seeking an Order of Mandamus to compel the EFCC to probe, arrest, and prosecute Segun, and to issue interim orders forcing him to step aside as CFO while the investigation is ongoing. In court documents sighted by The PUNCH, the applicants are seeking a declaration that the EFCC’s failure to investigate Segun’s conduct “amounts to a gross violation of its statutory duties.”
The ex parte motion includes the following key prayers: “That EFCC’s inaction over Segun’s alleged role in the OVH deal and the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries is unlawful.
“An order directing EFCC to, within seven days of the court’s order, commence a ‘thorough and dispassionate investigation’ and to publish its findings within 14 days of conclusion. “Where the investigation reveals offences, EFCC should, “forthwith, arrest and prosecute’ Segun for economic and financial crimes related to both projects.
“An interim order directing Segun to step aside as CFO, refrain from performing official duties, and desist from tampering with documents or records relevant to the investigation. An order requiring both respondents to file their defences or counter-affidavits within four working days of service.”
The applicants also sought leave to serve Segun via the NNPC Legal Department at the company’s headquarters in Abuja.
Nigeria’s refineries — located in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna — have been largely moribund for years, operating far below installed capacity. In 2021, the Federal Government announced a $1.5bn rehabilitation plan for the Port Harcourt refinery, followed by similar multi-million-dollar contracts for Warri and Kaduna refineries.
Despite these investments, none of the refineries has yet returned to optimal production. The government has continued to rely on imported petrol, diesel, and aviation fuel, with NNPCL maintaining a near-monopoly in imports until the recent partial deregulation of the market.
In 2022, NNPCL announced the acquisition of OVH Energy, a major downstream company with an extensive retail network. The deal, which gave birth to NNPC Retail’s expanded operations, was touted as a strategic move to strengthen NNPCL’s presence in the downstream market
