By Jackson O Udeh
A large swathe of Nigeria’s population is scandal-fatigued. Lying public officeholders have traumatised them to the extent that they cannot be bothered about acts of brazen impunity anymore. This is the only logical explanation for the trepid response to the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari’s latest irresponsible assertion that blending is not a crime. But a few of us, conscientious citizens, are aghast at the insensitive attitude emanating like foul odours from those tasked with running the petroleum sector.
Kyari, at the commissioning of the NUPENG Towers in Lagos on Wednesday, futilely attempted to dismiss claims that had made the rounds that contrary to celebrated reports that Port Harcourt Refinery has been restreamed NNPCL rather bought Cracked C5 petroleum resins, which it then blended with Naphtha and other products to flog to the Nigerian public to create the impression that all is well. How is it that Kyari cannot appreciate that he deceived Nigerians with the blending trick and that this is a crime?
NNPCL had taken flack for the less-than-honest disclosure of the Port Harcourt Refinery’s supposed return to operation after seven missed deadlines and billions of dollars down the drain. Instead of churning out refined petroleum products, it seems the refinery has only churned out lies and more lies such that the lines have been blurred to the point where the truth is no longer perceptible. There is uncertainty as to whether the refinery is working. Then there is the revelation that only six and not 200 hundred trucks lifted products on the reopening day, contrary to the re-opening day that was loudly celebrated.
The discovery that NNPCL was blending products at the refinery instead of refining ticked the enlightened part of the population off, which was to be expected considering that NNPCL deployed considerable resources to deny news reports that had suggested that this was the corporation’s end game, particularly when it continued to change the deadlines for returning the refinery on stream. For Kyari to now boldly come out and say blending is not a crime is something he should be held accountable for, and this is for several reasons.
First, while blending is indeed a common practice in refining, as Kyari observed, there are several legitimate concerns. Why should blending be the focus of a refinery that has just been revived after years of inactivity? The Port Harcourt refinery should ideally fully refine crude oil into finished products rather than relying heavily on blending. The implication of what Kyari is saying is that it is okay to waste resources. He is suggesting that Nigerians should accept that the refinery may not be operating at its full refining capacity, which raises questions about the effectiveness of the rehabilitation efforts.
Secondly, blending is used to adjust the quality of petroleum products to meet specific standards. However, the refinery primarily blending rather than refining indicates that the crude oil processing units are not functioning optimally. Kyari had himself admitted that the offs-pec products resulting from the inconsistencies associated with this process could damage vehicles if not properly managed. Wilfully producing and distributing products with the potential to damage others’ property is a crime, which is why NNPCL should not have gone down this rabbit hole of blending.
Additionally, Kyari should disclose the economic losses arising from prioritising blending over refining because full refining of crude oil is generally more economically efficient than blending. Refining crude oil would have made the refinery produce a diverse range of high-value products such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. The bottom line is that blending might limit the economic benefits derivable from the refinery’s operations. He must admit that NNPCL erred with the blending gig since the Port Harcourt refinery needs to operate at full refining capacity to be sustainable in the long term. Continuous reliance on blending could undermine the refinery’s ability to compete with fully operational refineries globally, especially as the global oil market becomes increasingly competitive.
Also, instead of thumping his nose at concerned citizens who are asking questions about the turn of events, Kyari and his NNPCL should provide detailed reports on the refinery’s operational status, including the specific capacities of the various units and the reasons for the reliance on blending. He may yet be able to rebuild public trust in the corporation. While blending is a necessary part of refining operations, the emphasis should be on ensuring that the Port Harcourt refinery is fully operational and capable of refining crude oil efficiently.
Even more troubling is how the decision to convert the refinery into a blending plant shattered Nigerians’ hopes of accessing affordable petrol, which they sorely need because of the current cost-of-living crisis. The prices of products have remained high even after the Port Harcourt Refinery re-streamed. This upends the economic principles of demand and supply, not helped in the least by revelations that marketers imported 2.3 billion litres of petrol between September 11 and December 5, 2024.
Above all, one gets worried by the confidence with which Kyari believes he can continue to manipulate President Bola Tinubu, who was practically hoodwinked into endorsing the scam that NNPCL used the Port Harcourt Refinery to pull on Nigeria. The other leg of how he jeopardised the President is the alleged taint on the components being blended at the refinery, some of which could be linked with the Russian sanctions.
Consequently, because Mele Kyari has amply demonstrated he cannot be reasoned with, the charge goes to President Tinubu, the one set to bear the brunt of this blending misadventure. Mr President should not think the ongoing controversial tax reform is his administration’s greatest challenge; the opposition to his tax bills becomes like child’s play when rated against the simmering anger in the hearts of citizens, who feel cheated and lied to about what is going on behind the gates of Port Harcourt Refineries.
So, President Tinubu should corral Kyari and tell him in clear terms that under the circumstances, blending is a crime, one that someone should be held to account for. It is the one thing that would make Nigerians democratically punish the President, and it makes sense to sacrifice Mele Kyari immediately to appease citizens. It turned out blending is a crime, and Nigerians want Kyari’s head for it.
*Udeh is a writer. He wrote this piece from Abuja