President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assured Nigerians that the country’s refineries will be revived after a comprehensive technical and structural reset, saying the facilities cannot be allowed to waste away after years of massive government investment.
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 rehabilitation of the nation’s refineries, the President said his administration would adopt a systematic and evidence-based approach to addressing the challenges confronting the facilities.
He said detailed research and technical assessments would be undertaken to identify the structural, operational, financial and managerial problems affecting the refineries and develop 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.
He stressed that merely seeing flames or smoke from a refinery would not amount to success unless the facility was operating profitably and delivering the value for which it was established.
“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 said he had accepted responsibility for fixing the assets and liabilities inherited from previous administrations, regardless of the circumstances that led to their current state.
“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.
The President also appealed to stakeholders to support democratic governance, assuring Nigerians that his administration remained committed to building a better country.
On local government autonomy, Tinubu said constitutional issues surrounding its implementation were being reviewed for possible adjustments, while appealing to stakeholders for understanding.
He also recalled his relationship with the late former NUPENG President, Frank Kokori, whom he credited with contributing to Nigeria’s democratic struggle.
“You brought good memories of my relationship with Frank Kokori; may his soul rest in peace. We struggled for this democratic dispensation together, and it was very tough for us to have this democracy,” Tinubu said.
The President further promised greater inclusion for NUPENG in the implementation of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), while challenging the union to ensure that the benefits of the programme reached ordinary commuters.
Speaking at the meeting, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, commended NUPENG for acknowledging what he described as the positive outcomes of the Tinubu administration’s reform agenda.
Idris said the recognition by the influential petroleum workers’ union was significant, particularly because the reforms had previously generated tensions between the government and organised labour.
He cited the removal of the fuel subsidy and the increase in workers’ wages as examples of major reforms undertaken by the administration.
The minister also commended NUPENG for recognising the administration’s infrastructure projects across the country, describing the union’s position as an indication of the impact of the reforms on different sectors.
Earlier, NUPENG President Oladiti praised Tinubu for removing the fuel subsidy, describing the decision as a courageous step that had helped save the country from decades of financial drain and depletion of national reserves.
He said the policy had begun freeing resources for infrastructure development and other critical sectors of the economy.
Oladiti particularly commended the administration’s focus on major road projects, including the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the 1,068-kilometre Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway.
“For our members, a good road is the difference between arriving home safely and never arriving at all,” he said.
He noted that improved highways would help reduce accidents, fuel and product spillages, as well as the risks faced by tanker drivers and other road users.
However, the NUPENG president urged the Federal Government to intensify efforts to revive the country’s refineries, arguing that functional refineries would strengthen energy security, reduce dependence on imported petroleum products and create employment opportunities.
At the end of the meeting, NUPENG leaders decorated President Tinubu as the Grand Patron of the union.
