Port Harcourt Refinery: Fani-Kayode slams naysayers, critics, says oil business not cement, sugar marketing

Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, one-time Minister of Tourism and Culture, has launched a diatribe against the critics of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited on the recent feat of resuscitating the Port Harcourt Refinery.

Calling out the critics and cynics, Fani-Kayode pointed out that oil business is not the same thing as selling sugar, spaghetti, and cement, tackling Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Refinery.

Fani-Kayode stated this on his official X handle on Thursday, sourced by Persecondnews.

His reaction followed the undermining by some elements in the nation’s private sector in the oil and gas industry of the landmark achievement of the revitalisation of the Port Harcourt Refinery.

The naysayers had raised claims about the viability of the refinery after NNPC Ltd announced that the plant had begun trucking out petroleum products on Tuesday.

However, Fani-Kayode fingered some elements in the private sector of the industry as responsible for the campaign of calumny to discredit the Group Managing Director of NNPCL, Mele Kyari, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the commencement of Port Harcourt Refinery after years of being moribund.

According to the former minister, the Port Harcourt Refinery is a great victory for the country.

“The resurrection of the PH refinery is one of the most encouraging things that has happened in the petroleum sector for many years, and the credit for this must go to the President and the GMD of NNPC.

“It is a pity that some elements in the private sector who are new in the field are doing all they can to undermine and understate this great victory for Nigeria.

“The oil business is not the same as selling sugar, spaghetti, cement, or rice, and no matter how hard you try, you cannot muscle your way and create a monopoly on the sale of refined products as you did for other commodities over the years.

“NNPC will go from strength to strength, and once its other refineries are working as well, Nigerians will have cause to smile again. Let the new kid on the block flourish, but let the NNPC refineries flourish too. That should be our goal and not a squalid attempt to discredit NNPC and its leadership.

“Every optimistic and true lover of Nigeria’s progress and President Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda must be proud of the GMD Mele Kyari,” Fani-Kayode wrote.

“His tenacity, bravery, ingenuity, and forthrightness have been rewarded with this great feat. Surely this is hope renewed for Nigerians,’ he added.