PETROAN retracts claim of lifting petrol from Port Harcourt Refinery

The Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has retracted its earlier assertion that members were lifting Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, from the Port Harcourt Refining Company operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.).

This latest admission raises questions about the association’s February 2024 claim, which indicated that its members were sourcing petrol directly from the Port Harcourt refinery.

Four months after that statement, PETROAN’s National President, Billy Gillis-Harry, stated during a live television appearance on Wednesday night that members of the association had only lifted diesel (Automotive Gas Oil, AGO) and kerosene (Dual Purpose Kerosene, DPK) from the facility, not petrol. A clip of the interview, which surfaced on Friday, directly contradicted PETROAN’s earlier position.

“For the products that we were lifting from NNPC, especially at the Port Harcourt refinery, most of them were DPK and AGO,” Gillis-Harry said. “PMS was lifted by NNPC to NNPC trucks and stations. Of course, we did buy from NNPC stations in our cars, but we did not buy any commercial PMS from NNPC while the process of doing distribution from that depot was ongoing.”

He insisted that at no time did PETROAN claim its members were lifting PMS directly from the depot and clarified that the association only obtained PMS via private depots in partnership with NNPC.

This statement contrasts sharply with PETROAN’s earlier communication. On February 1, PETROAN spokesman Joseph Obele had issued a press release claiming that members were loading PMS, AGO, and DPK from both the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.

In the release titled ‘PETROAN’s Appraisal of Port Harcourt and Warri Refineries as Our Members Commence Loading of Products from Both Refineries’, the association stated: “Contrary to previous doubts, the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries are now fully operational, with PETROAN members loading petroleum products, including DPK, AGO, and PMS.”

The statement went further to claim that the restart of the refineries would enhance competition in the downstream sector, reduce petroleum prices, and curb the circulation of adulterated products in the market.

However, Gillis-Harry’s recent remarks indicate that no commercial volumes of petrol were obtained by PETROAN members from the Port Harcourt refinery, and instead suggest that earlier statements may have misrepresented the true operational status of the facility.

The Port Harcourt refinery, which resumed partial operations in November 2024 after a $1.5 billion rehabilitation project, was shut down again in May 2025 for maintenance. According to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the plant had been operating at 42 per cent capacity prior to the shutdown.

The Warri refinery, meanwhile, was declared non-operational in a separate April report by the regulator, citing safety concerns related to its Crude Distillation Unit Main Heater.

Gillis-Harry reiterated PETROAN’s continued support for NNPC’s refinery operations and its turnaround maintenance efforts. However, the association’s changing narrative has prompted renewed scrutiny.

Calls have intensified for the Federal Government to consider privatising the three NNPC-run refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna, amid concerns over operational efficiency, cost, and transparency.

PETROAN, previously known for its vocal backing of NNPC’s initiatives, appears to be repositioning itself following the recent leadership changes at the state-owned energy company, including the removal of Mele Kyari as Group Chief Executive Officer.