By Ayo Kehinde 
Support staff of the Port Harcourt Refining Company have threatened to shut down the facility if the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited fails to address their grievances over seven months of unpaid salaries and the non-implementation of a new salary structure within 48 hours.
The workers, under the PHRC Support Staff Union, barricaded the entrance of the refinery in Eleme, Rivers State, on Monday, displaying placards and demanding immediate action from management.
The union’s demands include implementation of a new salary and remuneration structure reportedly approved by NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, with effect from October 1, 2026.
They are also demanding payment of seven months’ outstanding salaries and other legitimate entitlements, approval of N1 million housing or rent relief for eligible workers, and improved consultation between management and recognised labour representatives.
The Chairman of the union, Bennett Isy, said the workers would completely shut the refinery if their demands were not met within 48 hours.
“You cannot tell us that the GCEO of the NNPCL approved something and the RC will say no. That is insubordination”, Isy said.
He also called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the dispute.
Other workers said the salary delay had created severe hardship. A protesting worker, Godspower Nwakanji, said, “We cannot renew our hope in hunger and poverty,” while Joy Osueiya alleged that some workers had suffered injuries and lost colleagues while working at the facility.
Beyond the labour dispute, the protest has generated a wider debate over whether the refinery should continue maintaining a workforce when its refining operations remain uncertain.
One commenter argued that workers should not continue receiving salaries if the facility is unable to produce petroleum products.
“If the refinery is not functional and can’t refine and produce a single litre of petrol or diesel, then it shouldn’t have workers still receiving salaries in the first place! The ownership and management should be transferred to those who have shown they can run a refinery”, the commenter said.
Another commenter questioned the refinery’s usefulness to Nigerians, describing it as an unproductive public asset.
But a contrasting view defended the workers and pointed to the need to maintain the facility while rehabilitation efforts continue.
“Over 2 trillion naira was invested into that refinery recently, workers are there maintaining installed equipment for a near future revamp, it’s only fair NNPC pays them well”, the commenter said, adding that the refinery also houses tank farms that can serve as storage facilities for petroleum products.
The conflicting reactions underline the broader challenge facing the Port Harcourt refinery.
While workers insist that they are entitled to salaries for services rendered, critics are questioning the cost of maintaining the facility and its workforce when sustained commercial refining has remained elusive.
The refinery has a combined installed capacity of 210,000 barrels per day, but its capacity has not translated into consistent commercial production.
The 48-hour ultimatum therefore places NNPCL under immediate pressure to resolve the workers’ grievances, even as the larger question remains: when will the Port Harcourt refinery deliver sustained value to Nigerians commensurate with the resources committed to it?
