Obele, who supervised the facility during his leadership as the IPMAN chairman in the state, told journalists that the first stage of the refurbishment is currently in the testing stage.

Mr Joseph Obele, the former chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) in Rivers State, has given an update on the Port Harcourt refinery.

He stated that the refinery is currently undergoing an initial rehabilitation phase amid reports that it has resumed operation.

Obele, who supervised the facility during his leadership as the IPMAN chairman in the state, told journalists that the first stage of the refurbishment is currently in the testing stage.

“Test run in progress,” Obele told Daily Trust when contacted to comment on work progress at the refinery.

The December completion deadline set by the Federal Government has become controversial as stakeholders in the oil industry have expressed strong reservations about the delivery date.

The Minister of State for Petroleum (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, had earlier assured Nigerians during his visit to the refinery that the first phase of the rehabilitation work would be completed by December 2023.