Exclusive: Concerns mount over alleged privatization of Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company, WRPC

There is growing concern over allegations that the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company, WRPC, with the capacity to produce 4 to 5 million liters of PMS per day, may have been privatized, without the knowledge of Nigerians.

Fresh Angle International understands that WRPC, which had alleged production capacity of 68% before it was shutdown, has been divested to different companies. The company was producing Aviation Gas and had Polypropylene plant before its closure.

While the Spherical Tank Farm, has allegedly been leased to Kwale Hydrocarbon Nigeria Limited, the WRPC Power Plant, was purportedly subleted to Lee Engineering and the Jetty also leased to Heritage Oil & Gas, with the aforesaid companies set to resume operations, without carrying people of the host communities along.

Some causal workers of WRPC who spoke to Our Correspondents Friday April 23 on condition of anonymity, alleged that the plant went down after the July 5, 2019 protest by the casual / backup staff of Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company, “because there are no manpower, to operate the refining plant”. Some of the casual/backup staff of the company, with the needed experience and capacity, were reportedly laid off by the NNPC before and after the protests, for the purpose of replacing them with the newly recruited graduate trainees. Recall, that the casual workers protested for them to be converted as staff of NNPC.

It was alleged that the only issue WRPC Plant had, was lack of Nitrogen, which was subsequently awarded to a contracting firm and procurement purportedly done as at the time of this report, yet the management of NNPC has yet to do the needful for the plant to commence operations.

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