Did The WalterSmith Modular Refinery in Imo State Just Commence Crude Oil Production?
An X user claims that WalterSmith refinery in Imo state has commenced refining crude oil into other petroleum products. The claim which was posted on June 2, 2025, is captioned ”GOOD NEWS: The 5000bpd WalterSmith Refinery In Imo State Has Commenced Refining Of Crude Oil To Produce Petroleum Products. The target is to produce 50,000bpd.”
When this report was published, the post had over 100,000 views and a total of about 1,600 replies, reposts, quotes, likes and impressions.
VERIFICATION
The Waltersmith Refinery was developed by Waltersmith Petroman Oil Limited in partnership with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, which holds a 30 percent equity stake in the project. This refinery was commissioned on November 24, 2020 to refine crude oil into petroleum products
N-VA checks revealed that the 5,000 barrels per day (bpd) Waltersmith Modular Refinery in Ohaji-Egbema, Imo State has produced nearly 600 million litres of diesel, kerosene, naphtha, and high-fuel oil, supplying products across Nigeria, including to states as far as Sokoto.
When commissioned in 2020, it was noted that the plan for the refinery was 50,000 bpd capacity which would occur in three phases. 5,000bdp was projected for phase 1, followed by 30,000bpd and then 50,000 bpd. According to the chairman of Waltersmith Group, Abdulrazaq Isa, the target is to achieve 40,000bpd capacity in the shortest possible time.
However, the refinery is currently undergoing an expansion to double its capacity to 10,000 bpd. This is the highly anticipated phase two of the project and it is expected to come on-stream by June 2025.
The refinery has been recognised as a success story in Nigeria’s efforts to enhance domestic refining capacity, with about 20 trucks transporting petroleum products from the facility daily.
CONCLUSION
The claim that WalterSmith refinery in Imo state has just commenced the refining of petroleum products is MISLEADING. Findings reveal that this refinery has been operational since 2020 and is aiming to expand its production capacity to 10,000bpd.
