The latest Memorandum of Understanding between NNPC Limited and two Chinese firms to rehabilitate the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries arrives as another major attempt to revive Nigeria’s long-collapsed public refining system. Signed in Jiaxing City, China, on April 30, 2026, the MoU promises the completion of rehabilitation work, expansion into petrochemicals, and the development of gas-based industrial hubs. On paper, it appears ambitious. But Nigerians have heard similar promises before. What exactly makes this agreement different from previous refinery rehabilitation programmes that consumed billions of dollars with little to show for it?
