President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed his commitment to reviving Nigeria’s state-owned refineries, saying the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna facilities will return to operation despite doubts from former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Tinubu made the statement at the Presidential Villa in Abuja while receiving the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, led by its Executive President, Salimon Oladiti.
The President said the government was working on a sustainable plan for the refineries, stressing that getting them to produce fuel would not be enough unless they could operate profitably.
He said he had accepted responsibility for the assets and liabilities inherited from previous administrations and was determined to make the facilities work for Nigerians.
Tinubu’s position differs from that of Obasanjo, who has repeatedly argued that the NNPC should not be trusted to successfully operate the government-owned refineries.
Obasanjo recently said public-private partnerships would provide a better model for managing major government assets. He recalled that during his presidency, Shell rejected proposals to operate the refineries, citing their small capacities, poor maintenance and corruption.
The former President also recalled that Aliko Dangote had offered $750m for a 51 per cent stake in two of the refineries while he was in office. According to Obasanjo, the deal was later reversed by the Yar’Adua administration following pressure from the NNPC.
Obasanjo further claimed that the government had spent about $16bn on efforts to rehabilitate the refineries, arguing that the money could have been better used elsewhere.
Dangote has also previously expressed doubts about the government’s approach to rehabilitating the ageing facilities, comparing it to trying to modernise an old car with new technology.
Energy expert Dan Kunle has similarly called on the Federal Government to privatise the refineries rather than continue funding their rehabilitation.
Kunle argued that previous administrations had made repeated attempts to revive the plants without achieving sustained profitability. He urged Tinubu to redirect government funds towards sectors such as education, agriculture, gas infrastructure and upstream oil and gas development.
However, the Port Harcourt Refinery Host Community Bulk Petroleum Retailers Association has backed the President’s position.
The association said the successful revival of the Port Harcourt refinery would create jobs, support businesses and strengthen energy security in Rivers State. It also pledged to support Tinubu politically if the refinery becomes fully operational before the next general election.
The development comes as NNPC pursues a technical partnership with Chinese companies to rehabilitate and expand the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.
