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 made the declaration 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 in Abuja.
“The refineries you mentioned are going to come back to work,” Tinubu said, explaining that his administration was working on the economic and structural issues surrounding the facilities.
He stressed that simply seeing a refinery produce smoke does not mean it is operating successfully, arguing that the facilities must ultimately be profitable and deliver value to Nigerians.
Tinubu also accepted responsibility for fixing the refineries, saying he would not focus on the problems inherited from previous administrations.
His position contrasts with Obasanjo’s longstanding criticism of the facilities. The former president has cited their small capacity, poor maintenance and corruption as major challenges.
Obasanjo also recalled that Aliko Dangote once offered $750 million for a 51 per cent stake in two refineries, but the deal was later reversed under former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
