Port Harcourt Refinery Promises and How to Erode Public Trust

By Chinomso Momoh
October 3, 2024

The continued failure of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited to commence fuel production at the Port Harcourt refinery reflects a broader issue of unfulfilled promises by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Development Diaries reports that despite the last promise of the Chief Financial Officer of the NNPC, Umar Ajiya, that the Port Harcourt refinery will commence operations in September 2024, September has ended and fuel production has yet to begin at the refinery.

Despite multiple assurances, the refinery remains non-operational.

This marks the sixth postponement, contributing to rising public frustration. The absence of a formal update from the NNPC at the end of September adds to the growing concerns around transparency and accountability.

Beyond the refinery delays, President Tinubu’s government has struggled to fulfil other key promises.

For instance, the administration’s pledge to stabilise the economy and address inflation has yet to yield noticeable results, as Nigerians face rising food and fuel prices.

Similarly, there have been delays in implementing security reforms aimed at curbing insurgency and banditry across the country.

These repeated failures deepen the trust gap between the government and the public. Each unfulfilled promise, particularly on critical infrastructure like the refinery, undermines faith in leadership and reinforces skepticism around the government’s capacity to manage vital sectors.

With Nigerians increasingly feeling the impact of these broken commitments, public confidence in the administration continues to decline.

Updates on the status of this refinery and the other three are required because President Tinubu, in August 2023, promised that the Port Harcourt refinery would resume operations by December 2023.

The president’s promise raised public expectations for a swift improvement in the country’s refining capacity and reduced fuel import dependency.

However, citizens’ expectations have been met with unfulfiled promises. If key reforms and projects, such as the Port Harcourt refinery, do not materialise soon, the administration risks further alienating citizens, making governance more difficult.

Development Diaries, again, reiterates its call to the Minister of State for Petroleum (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, to provide Nigerians with an update on the commencement of production at the Port Harcourt refinery.