NSE Team Tours Azikel Refinery, Eruani Explains Delayed Take-off

• Group’s president says total investment now $1bn Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Bayelsa State Branch, has described the nearly completed Azikel Refinery as a world-class engineering project that would play a major role in accelerating industrialisation and economic development in the state. The commendation came during a tour of the refinery complex in Yenagoa by members of the professional body. Chairman of NSE’s Bayelsa State branch, Mac Jokori, said during the tour that the facility had complied with the highest engineering standards and represented a significant milestone for Nigeria’s refining industry. Jokori said the refinery, currently at the finishing stage, was designed to process both condensate and crude oil as feedstock, describing it as a remarkable engineering achievement. He stated that beyond its commercial value, the refinery would serve as a catalyst for industrial growth, technology transfer, and local capacity development. “As engineers, we recognise that a refinery of this scale is more than a commercial venture,” Jokori said. “It is an engine of industrialisation, a catalyst for local capacity building, and a pathway to sustainable development for our youths,” he added. According to him, the project is already creating economic opportunities, with more than 700 engineers and other personnel engaged during the completion phase. Jokori stated that the refinery would deepen collaboration among industry players, government, and professional bodies to ensure the highest standards of engineering practice, operational safety, environmental stewardship, and local content development. He pledged the support of NSE for the project through technical collaboration, internship and mentorship programmes, research partnerships, and capacity building initiatives. President of Azikel Group, Dr. Azibapu Eruani, attributed the extended construction timeline to deliberate engineering upgrades and the complexity of building a full hydro-skimming refinery rather than a simpler topping plant. Eruani explained that the refinery, originally licensed in 2015, had undergone extensive value engineering and redesign, resulting in an increase in processing capacity to 25,000 barrels per day and raising of total investment to about $1 billion. “The Azikel Refinery licensed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 has now gone through several enhanced value engineering and redesign to a 25,000 barrels per day capacity. It is now a $1 billion investment,” he said. According to him, the facility is a full slate hydro-skimming refinery capable of producing Premium Motor Spirit, diesel, aviation fuel, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas, with plans to expand capacity to 125,000 barrels per day in the future. Eruani stressed that the refinery was conceived as a strategic industrial project aimed at transforming Bayelsa State into a major industrial hub while creating employment opportunities and stimulating economic growth across the Niger Delta and Nigeria. He disclosed that the project currently employed no fewer than 700 workers, the majority of whom young Bayelsans and Nigerian engineers, alongside expatriate specialists. The Azikel Group president said the investment had already injected significant economic value into the state through job creation, wealth generation, and skills development. Addressing concerns over the pace of the project, Eruani said many people had wrongly compared Azikel Refinery with topping plants, stating that the two facilities differ significantly in complexity and capability. He explained that while topping plants primarily produced diesel, a hydro-skimming refinery was designed to process crude oil or condensate into a full range of refined petroleum products, including petrol and aviation fuel. He stated, “The cracking of crude oil or condensate to produce petrol and aviation fuel is a major feat in the refinery business, which can only be achieved by hydro-skimming refineries and other refineries equipped with Fluid Catalytic Cracking units.” Eruani maintained that Azikel Refinery was Nigeria’s second largest full slate refinery and the only refinery in Africa designed to process condensate into a complete range of petroleum products, including petrol, dual purpose kerosene, automotive gas oil, and heavy fuel oil.