President Bola Tinubu has expressed his profound joy at the re-opening of the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, describing it as another remarkable achievement in 2024 that has strengthened Nigerians’ hope in his administration.

Today, the Warri Refinery resumed operations weeks after NNPC Limited restarted the 60,000 Barrels per day at the Port Harcourt Refinery in November.

With Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) now operational after several years of inactivity, President Tinubu has reiterated his administration’s commitment to boosting local refining capacity and making Nigeria a hub for downstream industrial activities in Africa.

The All Progressives Congress-led administration of President Muhammadu Buhari awarded the contract for the complete rehabilitation and overhaul of the four state-owned refineries.

President Tinubu confidently stated that with the 125,000 (bpd) Warri Refinery now operating at 60% capacity, his administration’s comprehensive plan to ensure energy efficiency and security is fully on track.

He commended the Mele Kyari-led management of NNPCL for their efforts in restoring Nigeria’s status as a major oil-producing country.

“The restart of Warri Refinery today brings joy and gladness to me and Nigerians. This will further strengthen the hope and confidence of Nigerians for a greater and better future that we promised. This development is a remarkable way to end the year following the feat recorded earlier with the old Port Harcourt Refinery. I am equally happy that NNPC Limited is implementing my directive to restore all four refineries to good working condition.

“I congratulate Mele Kyari and his team at NNPCL for working hard to restore our national pride and make Nigeria a hub for crude oil refining in Africa,” President Tinubu said.

President Tinubu urged NNPCL to expedite repair work on the Kaduna Refinery and the 150,000 (bpd) second refinery in Port Harcourt to solidify Nigeria’s position as a global energy provider.

WRPC will focus on producing and storing critical products, including Straight Run Kerosene (SRK), Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), and heavy and light Naphtha.

Barely a month after the commencement of operations at the 60,000-barrel-per-day-old Port Harcourt Refinery, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has announced that the 125,000-barrel-per-day Warri Refining & Petrochemicals Company in Warri, Delta State, is now operational.

This was disclosed by the NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, during a tour of the facility on Monday.

A video posted by Channels TV on Monday showed Kyari addressing a tour team, which included the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed.

Before the tour commenced, Kyari explained that the inspection aimed to show Nigerians the level of work completed so far.

According to him, although the repairs on the facility are not yet 100 per cent complete, operations have commenced.

He said, “We are taking you through our plant. This plant is running. Although it is not 100 per cent complete, we are still in the process. Many people think these things are not real. They think real things are not possible in this country. We want you to see that this is real.”

Located in Ekpan, Uwvie, and Ubeji, Warri, the petrochemical plant produces 13,000 metric tonnes per annum (MTA) of polypropylene and 18,000 MTA of carbon black.

Commissioned in 1978 and managed by NNPCL, the WRPC was built to supply markets in the southern and southwestern regions of Nigeria.

The mechanical completion of the facility was initially scheduled for the first quarter of 2024, according to the NNPCL spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye.

“Warri should be done by Q1 (first quarter) 2024,” Soneye stated.

The WRPC is one of Nigeria’s four refineries, alongside the old and new Port Harcourt Refining Company in Rivers State and the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company in Kaduna State.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Sunday, strongly criticized ex-Rivers State Governor, Peter Odili, calling him a rent seeker and an ingrate for supporting the current Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

Wike was responding to Odili’s recent statement that Fubara stopped him (Wike) from turning Rivers into his personal estate.

According to a statement on Sunday from his media aide, Leke Olayinka, Wike made his remarks at a Special Thanksgiving Service organized by the factional Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, at the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Oro-Igwe/Eliogbolo Archdeaconry Church of the Holy Spirit, Eliozu Parish, Port Harcourt.

Wike, who labeled Odili an ingrate, recounted how he built a house for the former governor and mentioned that Odili also had some of his family members in government positions, turning Rivers into his private estate.

“Must you be a trader all the time? As governor for eight years, what else are you looking for? You know, I didn’t want to say anything. But somebody called me last night, and told me what someone said in the social media. I said until I read it myself. This morning, I read in the newspapers, what our former Governor, Sir Dr Peter Odili said.”

“What did he say? He said that the present governor has been able to stop one man who wanted to convert Rivers State to his personal estate. Between him and myself, who has turned Rivers State to his personal estate? His wife is a Chairman of Governing Council, his daughter is a commissioner, his other daughter is a judge and he is the general overseer. Who has now turned Rivers State to his private estate? I am sure if care is not taken, if there is a chance, he can even arrange a marriage for the governor.”

“In 2007 after he left office, he couldn’t come near power in the State because Amaechi was the governor then. He was gone! Like somebody said that God will use someone to lift up someone. When I came in as governor in 2015, I won’t use the word resurrected, but I brought him back to life,” Wike said.

The Minister also mentioned that Odili had previously praised him as being better than past governors in the state, asserting that the former Governor had reduced himself to a laughingstock.

“All of you here remember when I was governor, this same Odili praised me to high heaven. In fact, he said then that all past governors in Rivers State combined did not do better than me. Now, because you have organized a Christmas Carol for the governor, I didn’t say you should not do your Christmas Carol. But why reduce yourself to such a laughing stock? People will still see it on television how he was telling the whole world then how God used me to bring him back to life politically.”

“The governor that all of us made has not spent one year in office and the same Odili was already saying that the governor has beaten the records of all the past governors of Rivers State. When I was there, he said I had surpassed the records of all the past governors, including himself. What can he even show that he did in his eight years as governor? But a governor has not spent one year, you are saying he has done more than all the past governors.”

The Minister further emphasized that the former Governor had no significant accomplishments during his eight years in office. He added that Odili failed in his Presidential bid and opposed Fubara’s emergence as Governor of Rivers State.

“You spent eight years as governor and someone who hasn’t spent one year has surpassed your records, what manner of elder talks like that? Is that what an elder statesman should be known for?”

“When I was plotting who will be governor after me, was he (Odili) there? Then, he was complaining about this governor, saying that he couldn’t stand before the public to talk. But today, he is organizing Christmas Carol for the same governor he was against then.”

“He has forgotten all that he said in the past. I named this after you, I named that after your wife. What have I not done? This is a man who wanted to run for President then, he didn’t have the balls, he chickened out. Simply because Obasanjo said no, he will not contest, he ran away. Because of him, I never invited Obasanjo to Rivers State to inaugurate projects. I felt it would humiliate him,” Wike said.