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The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, has said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, should account for and explain to Nigerians why its Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries are not producing petroleum products.

He made this disclosure on Tuesday in an interview with Channels Television.

According to him, a brief from the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Bayo Ojulari, showed that the state-owned refineries are not producing refined petroleum products after gulping between N23.84 trillion and N33.11 trillion on turnaround maintenance over the past two decades.

“The last brief I got from the GCEO [Bayo Ojulari] is that it’s very unfortunate that the Port Harcourt refinery, Warri refinery and Kaduna refinery are not producing today.

“But new partnerships are being negotiated with some Chinese companies to come and invest their money and see how they can rehabilitate.”

When asked if those who deceived Nigerians into believing that the refineries were working should be punished, Lokpobiri said, “Call NNPC, tell them to come and account for it. I will tell them to come. Let them come and explain.”

His comments came as Nigerians buy petrol for between N1,395 and N1,450 per litre in Abuja and its environs, worsening the cost of living.

Recall that the NNPCL, under its former Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, announced the restart of operations at the Port Harcourt Refinery on November 26, 2024. However, on May 24, 2025, the plant was shut down.

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The Federal Government has secured fresh commitments from major Chinese power companies and financial institutions to accelerate critical electricity projects and deepen Chinese investment across Nigeria’s power value chain.

The commitments, which cover generation, transmission, equipment manufacturing, renewable energy and grid digitalisation, followed a high-level Nigeria-China power sector mission to Beijing led by the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe.

Tegbe disclosed this in Abuja while presenting his scorecard for his first 100 days in office, saying the government was seeking to move beyond conventional contractor arrangements to partnerships that would bring additional capital, technology and technical expertise into the sector.

Among the companies involved are Sinomach, China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), China National Electric Engineering Company (CNEEC) and TBEA, alongside Chinese financial institutions.

CMEC has reaffirmed its commitment to the 1.9GW Presidential Power Initiative, with the first transmission lines under the programme expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2027.

CNEEC, the minister said, is advancing financing of $116 million for the Zungeru power evacuation project, while TBEA has proposed a $500 million industrial park for the local manufacture of power equipment.

The Chinese engagements also cover accelerated development of the East-West Super Grid, the Omotosho-Epe transmission line, cable supply and local assembly, a 300MW distributed renewable-energy programme and waste-to-energy pilot projects.

Tegbe said the government was also working with Huawei on grid digitalisation, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems and technical training.

He said the objective was to ensure that foreign partnerships translated into bankable projects and completed infrastructure capable of delivering measurable improvements to the power system.

The minister’s disclosure comes against the backdrop of the Federal Government’s wider effort to restore financial stability to the electricity market, including the mobilisation of ₦1.23 trillion through two bond issuances to settle verified legacy obligations owed to power generation companies.

—₦120bn Annual Leakage Blocked—

Tegbe also disclosed that interventions along the Ikorodu-Sagamu industrial corridor were expected to block energy theft and related revenue leakages estimated at about ₦120 billion annually.

He said improved billing, collection and remittance remained critical to restoring the financial viability of the electricity market and ensuring that resources generated within the sector were available for continued investment.

The minister said the government was also preparing a new phase of investment in transmission infrastructure, including the proposed Transmission Super Grid and the East-West Grid, while exploring bilateral generation-distribution arrangements to improve the utilisation of existing power assets.

—Mambila Project Gets Fresh Impetus—

Tegbe said the government’s recent victory in the long-running arbitration over the Mambila hydropower project had removed a major obstacle to the development of the massive scheme in Taraba State.

An International Chamber of Commerce arbitration tribunal in Paris last week rejected claims totalling about $3.38 billion brought against Nigeria by Sunrise Power and Transmission Company in disputes connected with the project.

The minister said the government was now exploring a pragmatic, potentially phased approach to delivering the Mambila project, alongside smaller hydropower schemes that could serve agricultural and industrial corridors.

He identified the next phase of the government’s power programme as one focused on converting agreements and ongoing reforms into bankable projects, additional transmission capacity and infrastructure capable of supporting future electricity demand.

Among the priorities, he said, were the East-West Grid, the Transmission Super Grid, Mambila and small hydropower projects.

Tegbe said the government would also continue to pursue greater private-sector participation in the electricity market, insisting that new generation capacity must be matched by viable demand and infrastructure.

“An inch of improvement is better than a mile of intentions,” he said, quoting Steve Maraboli as he reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to reforming the power sector under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

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Thousands of members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Oyo State, have joined the Allied Peoples Movement, APM.

The former APC members, who came from different local government areas across the state, announced their defection on Monday.

They declared that they had dumped the APC and were ready to work for the APM.

The event was held at Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, in Ibadan.

Recall that the former APC members were led by Mr Ajiboye Sangogade, a Personal Assistant to the immediate past Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu.

Adelabu, who is an indigene of Ibadan, contested the recent APC guber primary election but did not secure the ticket.

Sangogade, a native of Ibadan, said he and his followers would work for the success of the APM in 2027.

The former APC members were received by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and other chieftains of the APM.

Makinde, while addressing the gathering, advised the APC gubernatorial candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, to channel his efforts toward contesting against the APM candidate, Bimbo Adekanmbi.

The governor vowed that he will defeat President Bola Tinubu to win the forthcoming 2027 presidential election.

He advised the APC candidate to stop criticising his administration.

Makinde said: “God has signed off on what we are doing, and that is why it is raining.

“Today, we are welcoming thousands of APC members into the Allied People’s Movement (APM), and this shows that our victory is only a matter of time. We will win massively in all elections in 2027”.