The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, announced that the Port Harcourt refinery is nearing completion. Nigeria’s three refineries—Warri, Port Harcourt, and Kaduna—have been moribund for years, but Sylva said the Port Harcourt facility should be ready before the end of the second quarter of the year. He made these remarks at a Defence Correspondents seminar in Abuja titled “Achieving presidential mandate in curbing oil theft and securing the nation’s wealth,” and was represented by his media aide, Horatius Egua.
Sylva attributed the problems confronting the oil and gas industry to years of neglect by previous administrations. He noted that President Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)’s directive to eradicate oil theft is beginning to yield results. “The oil and gas industry is the most complex sector in this country. The more you look, the less you see,” he said. “In the last 12 months, the president’s order to end oil theft is starting to show impact. Production, which had fallen to 900,000 barrels per day, is now gradually rising to between 1.5 and 1.6 million barrels per day.”
Sylva also highlighted the lack of infrastructure investment by past governments, which led to pipeline ruptures and non‑functioning refineries despite substantial spending. “The president directed that the refineries must work. The Port Harcourt refinery is now at 65‑70 percent capacity, and we hope it will be operational before the end of the second quarter,” he said, expressing confidence that the refinery will soon produce output.
Former Chief of Policy and Plans in the Nigerian Navy, Rear Admiral Henry Babalola (retd.), offered a contrasting view, arguing that the government is not doing enough to eradicate oil theft. “Nigeria is not treating this as an emergency. Oil thieves should be charged with treason,” he asserted. He warned that the estimated $20 billion lost to crude oil theft could have bolstered revenue and paid debts. “Crude oil theft will kill the nation if drastic action is not taken. Citizens must be punished to deter this crime; it is a pillar of the criminal justice system. Failure to sanction—or insufficient sanction—has encouraged crude oil theft.”
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