President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assured that Nigeria’s moribund refineries will be revived after a comprehensive technical and structural reset, saying the huge investments in the facilities must be made to deliver value and profitability.
Tinubu gave the assurance on Thursday in Abuja when he received the National Executive Council of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), led by its National President, Comrade Salimon Akanni Oladiti, at the State House.
Responding to NUPENG’s appeal for the restoration of the nation’s refineries, the President said the Federal Government would adopt an evidence-based approach to address the structural, operational, financial and managerial challenges that have undermined the facilities over the years.
He said the government would undertake detailed research and technical assessments as part of efforts to reposition the refineries for sustainable operations.
“The refineries that you mentioned are going to come back to work; we’re just building a very firm, resetting, and structural reworking of the economy of it,” Tinubu said, stressing that merely seeing “flame and smoke” from a refinery does not amount to successful operations unless the facility is profitable and delivers the value for which it was built.
The President said he had accepted responsibility for fixing the challenges inherited from previous administrations, irrespective of how long the problems had persisted.
“No matter what has happened in the years past, it’s now my responsibility as president to fix it and make it work for the greatest common good of our population. I take responsibility for that, and we will do it,” he said.
Tinubu also assured the union that the constitutional issues surrounding the implementation of local government autonomy were being reviewed, with possible adjustments expected where necessary.
He appealed to stakeholders for patience and understanding as the review process continues.
The President recalled his longstanding relationship with the late former NUPENG president, Frank Kokori, whom he credited with contributing significantly to Nigeria’s struggle for democracy.
He also pledged greater inclusion for NUPENG in the implementation of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative, while challenging the union to ensure that the benefits of the programme translate into lower costs and improved conditions for commuters.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, commended NUPENG for publicly acknowledging the positive impact of the administration’s economic reforms.
Idris said the recognition by a major labour union was significant, noting that improved understanding between the government and organised labour had helped reduce friction over key policy measures.
He cited the removal of fuel subsidy and increased infrastructure development as major areas where the administration’s reforms were producing visible results.
According to him, NUPENG’s recognition of the reforms was particularly significant because of the union’s strategic position within Nigeria’s petroleum sector.
Earlier, NUPENG President Oladiti commended Tinubu for taking what he described as the courageous decision to remove fuel subsidy, saying the policy had ended decades of financial drain on government resources and created room for greater investment in infrastructure and other sectors.
Oladiti particularly praised the administration’s renewed focus on federal road construction and rehabilitation, citing the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the 1,068-kilometre Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway.
He said improved highways were already delivering benefits to tanker drivers and other road users by reducing accidents, product spillages and travel-related risks.
“For our members, a good road is the difference between arriving home safely and never arriving at all,” he said.
Oladiti, however, urged the President to sustain efforts to restore the country’s refineries, arguing that functional domestic refining capacity would strengthen energy security, reduce dependence on imported petroleum products and create employment opportunities for Nigerian workers.
The NUPENG leadership subsequently decorated President Tinubu as the Grand Patron of the union.
