IN WARRI AND PORT HARCOURT, REFINERIES DIED.

By Akange Akange

Death, a universal truth, has been a source of fascination and contemplation throughout human history. It’s no surprise that literature, the mirror of society, is replete with symbols and imagery of death. These symbols serve as a bridge between the known and the unknown, the living and the dead, the past and the future. In this exploration, we delve into the intricate world of death symbolism in texts, unraveling its layers and understanding its profound impact on literature and, by extension, on us.

Death symbolism in literature is not just about the end of life; it’s a rich tapestry of meanings, emotions, and cultural significance. It’s a reflection of our deepest fears, hopes, and the eternal quest to understand the unknown. From the skull to the color black, these symbols have transcended time and culture, embedding themselves in our collective consciousness.

So also are the various metaphors of death. For instance, death is a journey that is often used. So also is death an end or death is rest.

Government development, especially the Warri and Port Harcourt refineries are of colossal significance to the development of the citizenry and this is so fundamental to national development in the areas of energy security, job creation, economic independence, and national growth, but Kyari is deliberately determined to ensure that these benefits and more, elude Nigerians. Nigerians deserve the truth. They want to see a refinery that four billion dollars of the tax payer’s money has been disbursed for and certainly not a dead one replaced with a blending plant.

The highly orchestrated and televised guided tour of machineries and upgraded equipment recently was an attempt to make us believe that the refineries are still alive. The cycle of stunts, repetitive falsehood and deception has become a notoriety of fashion for the NNPCL.

The symptoms were clear, and that the refineries were terminally ill were all evident. We heard the breath and felt the pulse. Not only are Nigerians treated to new ‘stories by moonlight’ daily, but the company responsible for resuscitating it back to life, decided to play it rough. They are determined to see it die, playing on the sensibilities of Nigerians, obviously believing that Nigerians are gullible people who believe anything, we could figure out that the right medication is not given but our complaints went unheard, our pleas only heard by ears that are deaf.

We were suspicious that the person in whose care the patient was, does not know the cure, we knew that the several fabrication – well twisted contrivance at that coupled with infamous lies, fakery and disillusionment – and the highest propensity for total disregard to sincerity and transparency is leading to one thing; the sure dead of these national assets.

NNPCL is using all attics to convince Nigerians that the refinery is now working. But we are afraid, because a trip to the refinery does not show anything close to that. They are only trying hard to justify the huge embezzlement.

Nigerians are tired of Kyari’s numbed and uncoordinated excuses. There are clear and incontrovertible indication that the refinery is dead. But the amount squandered is too much for Nigerians to turn the other eyes. Kyari and the NNPCL must give an explanation and do it now, how did these patient die? What happened to all the promises and huge amount disbursed to keep it alive?

Even if we are ignorant people, deficient in understanding the sector, experts in the sector have revealed that the prospect of the Port Harcourt Refinery running at its nameplate capacity is in doubt.

They also believe that even the blending plant is only close to the same fate deficient of oxygen, because Nigerian National Petroleum (NNPC) Limited, has not carried out any applicable construction or commensurate overhaul of any sort in the last 30 years, and does not possess the requisite manpower and competencies for any viable operations owing to the fact that there has been manpower wastages, and as such several organizational knowledge depletion within this period.

Fact remains that Kyari himself stated that the refinery is dead, and replaced with a blending plant. That statement did not come as a sudden realization but a confession after the fact, having gulped billions of dollars. It also underscores an acceptance of the fact that the establishment was out on a voyage of deception.

Unfortunately, Kyari and the NNPCL are now synonymous to deception. Few months ago, Nigerians where treated to the fact that the refinery has been brought back to life. A week later the company was battling to save its face, and using all conceivable means, including a guided tour of machineries and upgraded equipment, with none of those on the tour confirming they saw a single litre of fuel dispensed, just to convince Nigerians that the refinery was back on production. But we can see there is no breath left in it. The symptoms are there, death written all over, everywhere.

This indeed is a troubling grand deception and an insult on the sensibilities of the Nigeria public. Just when Nigerians think they know where the NNPCL is going, it changes its trajectory, upping the ante of deception by finding another explanation – what a shame!

Aside the experts, who have clearly stated that the refinery lacks both the human and material capacity to function as announced, a community leader and an eye witness, who is ordinarily passionate about the life of the refinery, debunked the fact that the Port Harcourt refinery, and by extension, the Port Harcourt depot, is still alive.

He unequivocally stated that while the community was happy because of the attempt by the NNPCL, because the refinery is the mainstay of the Alesa community’s economy, as the economic activities emanating from the operations of these depots mean a lot to them, he does not think there is cause for celebration yet because what is in the media space is different from what is on the ground. He emphasized that as a community person, the guided tour and dramatization were all mere fluke.

The operations at the old refinery are merely skeletal with some units of the refinery up and running, while the entire unit of the old refinery is not functional. It is also fact that the Old Port Harcourt refinery is built with its utilities, different from the new complex. The tank farm that is servicing the Old Port Harcourt refinery has a different loading gantry at the depot.

The easiest measure of life is the breath, even common sense of logic demands that when anything is alive, it can be confirmed through its breath. The breath of the refineries is the fuel it can dispense, which is its product. Unfortunately, NNPCL has no product to send out, no hope of sending any after several months of empty claim that the refineries has been resuscitated.

Celebrating a dead man does not give it life. You might televise the burial, or even dress it with the best of gowns. That does not give it life. Death is the irreversible cessation of life and all functions.
Kyari should stop being ridiculous. How can an automated refinery, capable of producing 1.4 million barrels per day load only four trucks of product for a whole day. Even manual loading system can do better.

Kyari has woefully failed to exhibit demonstrable and fundamental grasp of what he needs to do to bring back to live the oil sector after several years of being in the saddle. This is basically because, Mele Kolo Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited is failure.

Nigerians have been infiltrated, insinuated, intimidated and must re-create to survive. Let us revisit all the processes.
In May 2023, after spending a whopping 11 trillion naira on rehabilitation of the refineries, nothing still has happened.
In October, 2023, Kyari promised quick-fix has failed to fix even one refinery several months after while billions of Naira has gone down the drain.
The promise made in December, 2023 for the rehabilitation of the Warri refinery by the first quarter of 2024 and the Kaduna refinery by the end of December has yet to see the light of the day.
In March, 2024, Kyari promised that the Warri refinery had received crude oil and would begin operations in April, which never happened.
On 15th July 2024, the NNPCL in a deliberate platitude, promised a revised commencement date for the Warri refinery and Kaduna refinery, with the promise to commence operations in early August and Kaduna in December that too has not been achieved.
On 7th August 2024, the Nigerian Senate alleged economic sabotage in the Nigeria’s petroleum industry and expressed concern over the failure of the government owned refineries to function despite the billions of dollars committed for its rehabilitation yearly. The list can go on and on.

The NNPCL under Kyari has failed to deliver on all its promises right from the first day of his assuming office till date. He has only instituted systemic failure and endemic collusive corruption in a cesspool of monumental opacity, and successfully killed the Warri and Port Harcourt Refineries.

Nothing is working for the medical team anymore, not even the Transparency, Accountability and Performance Excellence (TAPE). All we can see is unmitigated economic hardship, extreme suffering, misery and poverty.

Today the nation is nowhere close to attaining efficiency and global excellence in oil and gas. The incompetence of the medical team has eroded public confidence and affected their reputation and that of the presidency and the economic trajectory of this present government. Nigerians are daily frustrated as a result of unfulfilled promises, ever rising inflation due to unpredictable fuel price increase and unaccountable stupendous investment in the sector without commensurate gains. Let us agree that in Warri and Port Harcourt, refineries died.

Akange a retired oil and gas worker wrote from Port Harcourt.

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