By Sandra Umeh

The shutdown of the Unit 10 of the Port Harcourt Refinery should serve as a wake-up call to building long-term capacities and ensuring sustainability in the management and execution of refinery projects.

A lawyer and engineer, Mr Patrick Edward, gave the advice on Thursday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

“We need institutional reform in contractor selection. It should be about technical competence, global experience, and a verifiable track record.

“We also need to decentralise oversight and give more autonomy to refinery management teams while holding them accountable,” Edward, the Managing Director of Horizon Energy Ltd., told NAN.

“This is how we build long-term capacity,” he said.

According to Edward, lessons from the shutdown include the understanding that rehabilitation is not the same as sustainability.

He said that the sustainability of a refinery would require strategy, capable partners and continuous support.

“From what I’ve gathered and seen, the shutdown was triggered by a combination of inconsistent product quality, poor maintenance cycles, and—frankly—an underwhelming performance from the current contractor”, he said.

“If a contractor can’t deliver or won’t respect local laws, they have no business managing our energy infrastructure.

“We cannot shortcut capacity building.

Edward urged inclusive, accountable, and strategic leadership in the management of national assets.

Besides, he underscored the need for the nation to look beyond crude export, and leverage more on other raw resources at her disposal.

“We have the raw resources, but we are still largely a crude-exporting, fuel-importing economy; It is an irony that stings.

“The shutdown isn’t just a technical glitch; it represents a serious disruption in Nigeria’s ambition to boost local refining capacity.

“This will continue to happen unless we overhaul how we plan and execute refinery projects.

“From contractor selection to maintenance protocols, we need to embrace a long-term view, otherwise, we will continue this cycle of shutdowns and blame games”, he said.

On the way forward, he said that the country requires transparency in contractor selection and a more competent, accountable O&M framework.

“If we don’t make bold decisions now, we’ll still be importing petrol in 2030, with all our refineries offline,” he said.

NAN reports that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. recently announced the shutdown of Unit 10 in Area 5 of the Port Harcourt Refinery (PHRC), citing sustainability concerns. (NAN) www.nannews.ng

Edited by Ijeoma Popoola