Tinubu Vows To Revive Nigeria’s Refineries After ‘Reset’

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assured workers in the oil and gas sector that Nigeria’s refineries will be revived, saying the facilities will not be allowed to waste away after decades of investment.

Tinubu gave the assurance on Thursday in Abuja when he received the national executive of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), led by its National President, Salimon Akanni Oladiti, at the State House.

Responding to NUPENG’s call for the revival of the refineries, the President said the government would adopt a systematic and evidence-based approach to addressing their challenges.

He said detailed research and technical assessments would be undertaken to identify the structural, operational, financial and managerial problems affecting the facilities before implementing sustainable solutions.

“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.

The President stressed that simply producing smoke from a refinery does not mean the facility is functioning effectively, noting that the ultimate objective is to ensure the refineries become profitable and deliver value to Nigerians.

“Ordinary flame and smoke of a refinery doesn’t mean that it’s working until it’s profitable and yields the value for which it is built,” he said.

Tinubu also said he had accepted responsibility for fixing the assets and liabilities inherited from previous administrations.

“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.

On local government autonomy, the President said constitutional issues surrounding its implementation were being reviewed for possible fine-tuning, while appealing to stakeholders for understanding.

Tinubu also recalled his relationship with the late former NUPENG president, Frank Kokori, whom he credited with contributing to Nigeria’s democratic struggle.

“We struggled for this democratic dispensation together, and it was very tough for us to have this democracy, and you have been a very good partner of the government in progress,” he said.

The President further promised greater inclusion for NUPENG in the implementation of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), challenging the union to ensure the benefits of the programme reach commuters.

Earlier, NUPENG President Oladiti commended Tinubu for removing the fuel subsidy, describing the decision as courageous and saying it had helped free resources for infrastructure and other sectors of the economy.

He particularly praised the administration’s road projects, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway.

“For our members, a good road is the difference between arriving home safely and never arriving at all,” Oladiti said.

He urged the President to sustain efforts to revive the refineries, arguing that functional facilities would improve Nigeria’s energy security, reduce reliance on imported petroleum products and create more employment opportunities.

The NUPENG leadership subsequently decorated Tinubu as the Grand Patron of the union.