Nigerians on X (Twitter) have berated a self-acclaimed energy expert, Kelvin Emmanuel, for criticising the government-owned Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.
Emmanuel appeared on Channels Television talk show with Seun Okinbaloye where he said the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries were not producing petroleum products.
According to him, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited would not be importing fuel if the refineries were working.
But Nigerians disagreed with the man, wondering what he stood to gain by disparaging the effort put into reviving the refineries.
Some described Emmanuel as a paid propagandist, arguing that he was doing the bidding of a billionaire owner of a refinery in Lagos.
Here are some of the comments:
Abba Audu: “Kelvin, that’s a blatant lie! That’s utterly ridiculous. Do you expect Nigerians to believe you? We’re not gullible enough to swallow such a blatant falsehood. Both refineries are up and running and producing products. Where did you even get that energy expert from? Your claims are completely unfounded and lack credibility.”
Prometheu: “Kelvin Emmanuel is a dishonest person. At no point did @nnpclimited ever claim that the Warri refinery produces PMS. If only @seunokin had done his homework, he would have pushed back against that lie.”
Abdulazeez: “Even Seun Okinbaloye is a dishonest and irresponsible journalist. He knows the truth about the refineries but chose to be biased and mischievous in his reportage. Sensible and patriotic Nigerians know the refineries are working.”
Usha George: “The thing is, has he visited the place to see things for himself? All this rubbish Energy expert thing, that’s why I liked the question Keyamo asked that no one is an aviation expert. The same for many people calling themselves experts. What problems have they solved?”
Rozzapepper: “I know a paid propaganda when I see one. End Users are getting on a daily basis but you want us to believe the refineries are not refining any product?”
Oluwatosin Ronke: “Kelvin why? Almost zero? People are getting the product with ease and without hassles but you said they are not refining. This agenda is not agending pls.”
@DSolabi: “This is why I hate some of Nigeria’s public analysts. They will never investigate any issue of public concern. They just come up with theories and feed Nigerians. Has this man gone to those refineries himself?”
Mintyguy: “Seun has gotten to a new low by allowing this self-acclaimed expert to spew unverifiable claims and go away with it. He kept quoting spurious data and Seun never even for once asked for his source.”
Abdullah Ayofe asked: Why does Kelvin refuse to acknowledge anything positive about the NNPC? Why does he constantly echo Dangote’s stance?
“Why is he pushing for a monopoly where Dangote becomes the sole supplier of fuel to Nigerians? Dangote is a businessman—he only considered reducing prices after the NNPC refineries came online.
“Is Kelvin truly advocating for Nigeria’s best interests, or is he serving an agenda,thereby pushing propaganda? Who is funding Kelvin’s narrative?”
The Warri Refining & Petrochemicals Company in Delta State resumed operations on December 30, 2024 after a decade-long closure.
The refinery’s CDU, Gas Plant, and VDU, commonly referred to as Area I came back to life after thorough overhaul by the NNPC Limited.
The Warri Refinery resumed operations months after the NNPCL successfully restarted the 60,000-barrel-per-day Old Port Harcourt Refinery, which had been dormant for over 30 years.
