The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has expressed strong dissatisfaction over the continued delay in rehabilitating the Kaduna Refinery, demanding that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited provide a clear timeline for the project's completion.

Despite numerous government assurances, the 110,000 barrels-per-day facility remains non-operational, exacerbating Nigeria's persistent fuel supply challenges and increasing logistics costs across the northern regions of the country.

In a recently issued statement, PETROAN criticized the repeated delays in the project and called for greater transparency and accountability from NNPC regarding the rehabilitation process. The association emphasized the critical importance of completing the Kaduna facility alongside the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries to enhance national petroleum product sufficiency and alleviate economic hardship.

"The Kaduna Refinery is critical for improving fuel distribution in the northern region and reducing the high cost of transportation from southern depots. Its continued inactivity is economically damaging," PETROAN stated.

Billy Gillis Harry, National President of PETROAN, described the delay as unacceptable and urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the matter. He recommended the formation of a high-level task force comprising key industry stakeholders including the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), and Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) to address bottlenecks and ensure swift completion of the refinery.

Additionally, PETROAN called on NNPC to appoint a substantive Managing Director for the Kaduna Refinery to provide dedicated leadership and accelerate progress on the rehabilitation project.

The association warned that unless urgent measures are implemented, the country risks further inflation and worsening energy insecurity.

"The borrowed funds for the refinery projects are substantial. Nigerians deserve to know where that money is going and when these vital national assets will start operating," the statement concluded.