President Bola Tinubu has rejected former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s doubts about the viability of Nigeria’s state owned refineries, insisting that the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries will return to operation.
Tinubu stated this on Thursday when he received the Executive President of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, Salimon Oladiti, and other union members at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to a report by The PUNCH, Tinubu said the government was working on a firm restructuring plan to ensure the refineries become operational and commercially viable, stressing that simply producing smoke and flames would not amount to success unless the facilities generate value and profit.
The President said he had accepted responsibility for the assets and liabilities inherited from previous administrations and was determined to make the refineries work for the benefit of Nigerians.
His position differs from that of Obasanjo, who has repeatedly argued that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited cannot successfully manage the government owned refineries and has advocated greater private sector participation.
Obasanjo recently recalled his administration’s attempt to get Shell and other private investors involved in managing the refineries, saying concerns over poor maintenance, corruption and the small capacity of the facilities contributed to the failure of the proposals.
He also claimed that the government had spent billions of dollars on attempts to rehabilitate the refineries without achieving sustained operations.
Energy expert Dan Kunle has also criticised the continued rehabilitation of the facilities, arguing that government should privatise them and redirect public funds to sectors such as education, agriculture and infrastructure.
Kunle questioned why previous administrations had failed to make the refineries profitable despite repeated promises to revive them, saying the old facilities could continue to operate at a loss even if restarted.
However, the Port Harcourt Refinery Host Community Bulk Petroleum Retailers Association (HOSCOM) backed Tinubu’s position, saying a successful and sustainable revival of the Port Harcourt refinery would create jobs, support businesses and improve energy security.
HOSCOM also pledged to support the President politically if the refinery becomes fully operational before the next general election.
The debate over the refineries now centers on whether the government can move beyond repeated rehabilitation efforts and achieve sustained, commercially viable operations at the three facilities.
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