KEY POINTS

• NNPC Limited has denied false claims that it is selling scrap materials, equipment or components from its three refineries.
• Chief corporate communications officer Andy Odeh said the company has not authorized any sale from the Port Harcourt, Warri or Kaduna refinery warehouses.
• The company warned the public against fraudsters posing as NNPC representatives and urged anyone approached to alert law enforcement.

NNPC Limited has hit back at a wave of false claims that it is selling refinery scrap materials, equipment and components to private buyers. The state-owned oil company issued the denial in a strongly worded public statement on Friday.

Andy Odeh, the company’s chief corporate communications officer, signed the statement and told the public to ignore any solicitations or offers tied to the rumored sales. He said the company has issued no tenders, bids or expressions of interest from any of its three refineries.

“NNPC Limited wishes to alert the public to the circulation of misleading and false information suggesting that the company is selling scrap materials, equipment, or components from its refineries to individuals and private companies,” the company said.

A flat denial

Specifically, NNPC said it has not authorized the sale of any items from the warehouses or inventories of the Port Harcourt, Warri or Kaduna refineries. The denial leaves no room for interpretation.

“NNPC Limited has not issued any request for bids, tenders, expressions of interest, or approvals for the sale of scrap materials, refinery components, or any items from the warehouses or inventories of any of its refineries,” it stated.

Furthermore, the company said it has received reports of individuals falsely presenting themselves as NNPC representatives or agents. These actors claim to facilitate the sale of so-called scrap metals and refinery equipment, none of which is real.

NNPC warned that such persons are unauthorized and are attempting to mislead members of the public. Therefore, the firm advised individuals, corporate organizations and industry stakeholders to disregard any such claims or solicitations and to exercise caution when approached.

The company doubled down on the denial in unmistakable language. “NNPC Limited is not conducting, nor has it authorised, any sale of scrap metals, equipment, or refinery components from any of its facilities,” it said, adding the line “for the avoidance of doubt.”

Any legitimate disposal of NNPC assets, the company said, will move only through established and transparent processes, with public notice on its official channels and full alignment with applicable regulations. Anything else is a red flag.

Moreover, NNPC encouraged anyone who encounters such fraudulent agents to alert the appropriate law enforcement authorities. The company reiterated its commitment to transparency, accountability and the responsible management of national energy assets.

The refinery question

The denial lands at a delicate moment for the three refineries, all of which have remained idle for years despite repeated revival promises. Stakeholders have openly questioned whether the plants will ever produce again.

Nevertheless, Bayo Ojulari, the NNPC group chief executive officer, has insisted he will revive the refineries. He has staked part of his early tenure on a credible turnaround story, and stamping out fraudulent peripheral activity is part of guarding the brand while that work continues.

With Nigerians paying close attention to the fate of the country’s three state refineries, any whisper of asset disposal carries political weight. Officials moved quickly to shut the rumor down before it could harden into accepted fact.