President says “ordinary flame and smoke” not enough; commits to structural reset of nation’s oil assets
President Bola Tinubu has assured Nigerians that the country’s refineries will not be allowed to waste away, vowing to undertake a comprehensive restructuring that will reposition them for long-term profitability and value delivery.
Speaking 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, Comrade Salimon Akanni Oladiti, the President emphasised that his administration would adopt a systematic, evidence-based approach to addressing the challenges confronting the nation’s refining facilities.
“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,” President Tinubu stated, according to a statement signed by his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga.
“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.”
The President, who was responding to NUPENG’s request to revive the nation’s oil refineries, explained that detailed research and technical assessments would be conducted to identify the structural, operational, financial and managerial challenges affecting the facilities.
He stressed that sustainable solutions, rather than short-term interventions, would be developed.
Accepting full responsibility for the nation’s economic challenges, the President declared: “I’m not a man who goes looking back on everything because I’ve accepted the assets and liabilities of my predecessor. 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.”
Nigeria’s four main state-owned refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna have a combined installed capacity of about 445,000 barrels per day but have underperformed for decades due to poor maintenance, inefficiency, and pipeline vandalism. While rehabilitation efforts in late 2024 and early 2025 led to the restart of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, they are currently shut down.
President Tinubu also addressed the implementation of local government autonomy, promising that constitutional issues involved are being reviewed for possible fine-tuning, and appealed for understanding among stakeholders.
The President took the opportunity to acknowledge the late Frank Kokori, a former President of NUPENG, for his role in deepening democracy in Nigeria.
“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, and you have been a very good partner of the government in progress,” he said.
The Nigerian leader also promised NUPENG executives more inclusion in the implementation of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) but challenged them to ensure the benefits reach commuters. “Whatever benefit that is coming from CNG is going into the pocket of truck owners. It’s not spreading as fast as I would like it, but it should spread,” he said.
NUPENG Commends Reforms, Seeks Action on Casualisation of Workers
Earlier, the NUPENG President commended President Tinubu for his bold decision to end the fuel subsidy regime, describing it as a courageous step that has saved the country from decades of financial drain.
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He noted that the policy has begun yielding enormous benefits by freeing resources for critical infrastructure development across the country.
Particularly praising the administration’s commitment to road rehabilitation, Oladiti highlighted the ongoing construction of the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the 1,068-kilometre Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway as major infrastructure projects that directly benefit union members. “For our members, a good road is the difference between arriving home safely and never arriving at all,” he said.
However, Oladiti appealed to the President to sustain efforts to revive the refineries and also intervene in the persistent casualisation of workers in the oil and gas industry, particularly in the upstream sector. He also called for the rehabilitation of the Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company depots across the country, suggesting they could be handed over to private investors under an equity arrangement.
The NUPENG leaders later decorated President Tinubu as the Grand Patron of the Union.
In his remarks, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, commended NUPENG for acknowledging the positive outcomes of President Tinubu’s reform agenda, stating that this mutual understanding has reduced friction between trade unions and the government.
Victor Ezeja is a Nigerian journalist skilled in producing insightful news analyses, feature stories, and interviews that simplify complex issues and drive informed public discourse. His work combines rigorous research, balanced reporting, and compelling storytelling to highlight developments shaping industries and society. Victor, who holds a Master's Degree in Mass Communication, specializes in energy, aviation, business, and economic reporting. He can be reached via @VICTOREZEJA on X