Support staff at the Port Harcourt Refinery (PHRC) have threatened to shut down operations at the Rivers State facility if their demands are not met within 48 hours, citing seven months of unpaid salaries and the non-implementation of an approved salary structure.
The protesting workers, operating under the Support Staff Union, temporarily disrupted activities at the complex by pitching tents at the refinery’s main gate and barricading the entrance with placards displaying various demands.
Some of the placards read: “No more empty promises, January 2027 is too far to implement new salary structure,” “Refinery Coordinator must go,” and “Approved by GCEO on 1st October, rejected by RC. Support Staff demands that RC must go”.
The workers stated that despite the approval of a new compensation package and salary structure for support staff by Bayo Ojulari, Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, the refinery coordinator (RC) has failed to implement the decision.
They described the demonstration as a peaceful action against ongoing marginalization and unfair treatment.
The staff further outlined four specific demands: the payment of seven months’ salary arrears, the immediate execution of the approved salary structure, the implementation of a ₦1 million housing and rent relief package, and better communication between management and labor representatives regarding worker welfare.
Speaking to reporters during the demonstration, Bennett Isy, chairman of the PHRC Support Staff Union, asked why a direction authorized by the NNPC leadership had not been carried out.
“You cannot tell us that the GCEO of the NNPC approved something and the RC will say no. That is insubordination,” Isy said.
Workers Subjected to Intimidation
He said that the union will not back down from its demands and claimed that workers were being “intimidated.”
“We are saying that we are not backing down. We are following all due process to ensure that what rightly belongs to us gets to us. But if it is not implemented in the next 48 hours, to God, we are going to shut down this refinery,” Isy said.
“Not one soul will gain access to these premises. That I assure you.”
One of the protesting employees identified as Joy Osueiya, claimed that workers had rejected a plan to delay the compensation structure’s implementation until January 2027.
Backstory…
The latest dispute comes against the backdrop of years of problems at the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC), one of Nigeria’s major state-owned refineries.
The facility has a combined refining capacity of about 210,000 barrels per day, but its two plants have struggled with ageing equipment, technical problems and prolonged shutdowns. The refinery’s rehabilitation became part of successive Federal Government efforts to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported petroleum products.
The Port Harcourt refinery was shut down in 2019 for rehabilitation, with NNPCL later awarding a $1.5 billion rehabilitation contract.
In November 2024, NNPCL announced the restart of the 60,000-barrel-per-day old plant at 70 per cent capacity, saying it was producing petrol, diesel, kerosene and other products. The company presented the restart as a major step towards restoring domestic refining.
However, the revival did not translate into sustained operations. By May 2025, NNPCL announced that the refinery would undergo what it described as a 30-day routine maintenance shutdown.
Subsequent reports found that production remained inconsistent, while NNPCL later acknowledged that parts of the rehabilitation work were incomplete. The refinery has since remained largely inactive, with NNPCL saying it is still undergoing maintenance.
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