The Bureau Veritas of France on Thursday awarded a certificate of ISO 9001:2008 to the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) for its quality management systems of international standard.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, speaking at the presentation ceremony in Eleme, Rivers, commended the management of the PHRC for the feat achieved.
Kachikwu, who is also the Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), was represented at the occasion by Mr Anibor Kregha, the Group Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer, Refineries.
He told the management and staff of the refinery that certifying the refinery as a world class was easier than maintaining the feat.
Kachikwu advised them that it would need more efforts and hard work to keep the feat.
He encouraged them that they had the chance to remain so as they had proved their doggedness in their performance so far.
Kachikwu said that there was no plan by the government to privatise the refinery but the ministyr has sought for an approval to seek for funding from investors to fund the refineries.
In his speech, Mr Sebastiano Fruciano, the Vice President of the Bereau Veritas, explained that the ISO 9001:2008 reference standard is the foundation for the organisation’s quality system.
Fruciano’s speech was read by the Bereau Veritas ISO Certification Manager in charge of West Africa, Mrs Adenike Akinbote.
The Vice President said that the certification would ensure a strong basis for continual improvement, business growth and efficiency.
Fruciano also explained that the certification was a tangible proof that the company’s quality system complied with the internationally recognised standard and best global practices.
He said that it would also enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty; assure conformance to applicable legal and other requirements and ensure marketing edge and positioning.
Other benefits include increased profitability as sale revenue would increase; improved internal processes, morale and motivation of staff.
Fruciano congratulated the management of PHRC for ‘’taking the bold decision to establish, document and implement its quality management system in compliance with the requirements of the international best practices’’.
Earlier in his speech, Dr Bafred Enjugu, the Managing Director of PHRC, explained that the journey to the achievement started when a former MD of the refinery directed the commencement of activities for the certification.
He said that the 3FM Solutions was engaged in 2014 and two years later, the certification was achieved with PHRC recording 48 qualified auditors.
Enjugu, who also spoke to newsmen, said that what the refinery did was to start a programme of engagement, follow the programme with a consultant ‘’to avoid a situation where people are backsliding.
‘’It is not just a certificate, it is a culture we want to imbibe. The PHRC is intent on keying into Solomon Associates which is a world recognised standard for refineries.
‘’So we queue in there and will probably be somewhere at the bottom as at the moment and then we will work our way up.
‘’The advantage is that they give you comparison, they give you technical ideas on how you should operate harder to be up there,’’ Enjugu said.
