The management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has confirmed that the Warri Refinery which is operated by its subsidiary, Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) is up and running and has no maintenance issues to warrant its shut-down.
The Acting Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the Corporation, Mr. Fidel Pepple, who disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists said the clarification became necessary to ease the anxiety generated by a report carried by Thisday on 25th December, 2012, indicating that the Warri Refinery has been shut down for a routine maintenance that would last for 21 days.
“There is no iota of truth in that report. The Warri Refinery is up and running; the day-to-day operations report from the refinery shows that it is producing at 63% of its installed capacity, even on Christmas Day when Thisday ran the report the plant was running. The plant has no immediate maintenance issues that would require it to be shut down for 21 days as reported,” Pepple stated.
He urged members of the public to discountenance the report and that NNPC was doing everything within its powers to ensure all-round products availability during the festive season.
Mr. Pepple also called on journalists to verify information with relevant authorities before going to press as misinformation, especially of this nature, could cause panic buying of fuel and aggravate the situation in the fuel supply and distribution chain.