President Bola Tinubu has assured that his administration will revive Nigeria’s moribund refineries, emphasizing that their operational success will be measured strictly by profitability and tangible output rather than cosmetic activities.
The President stated this on Thursday while receiving a delegation of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), led by its Executive President, Salimon Oladiti, at the State House in Abuja.
Addressing concerns raised over the state of government-owned refining facilities, President Tinubu said, “The refineries you mentioned are going to come back to work. We’re just building a very firm reset and structural reworking of the economy. Ordinary flame and smoke of a refinery doesn’t mean it’s working, until it’s profitable and yields the value for which it is built.”
The President also called on commercial transport operators and truck owners utilizing Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to reflect the lower operating costs in reduced transport fares for commuters.
He said, “We will do more. We will encourage you, but ask your drivers to let it trickle to the commuters too, because 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.”
Connecting the developments to the fiscal reforms initiated in 2023, President Tinubu noted that resources unlocked from the removal of fuel subsidy are directly funding critical national road infrastructure.
He stated, “I’m glad you have seen the effect of being able to find funding for long-term projects, the Lagos-Ibadan Road, Abuja-Kaduna, Abuja-Kano, Sokoto-Badagry and many other road networks, all for the good of us, the good of our economy and the safety of our people.”
Recalling an earlier engagement with the union at Akodo Resort in Lagos, the President reaffirmed that no industrial action would reverse the subsidy removal policy, announcing that his administration will soon publish an official breakdown of how subsidy savings have been allocated.
The President stated, “You have been a very good partner of the government in progress. I’m glad you recall the Akodo Resort meeting. We had a threat of possible strike, and I told you: you may strike all you want, but fuel subsidy will be gone. Today, to the benefit of our great country, I will soon publish the utilisation of what it is.”
He refuted claims that the subsidy removal only harmed citizens, asserting that regular salary payments across local, state, and federal levels have benefited civil servants and the broader retail economy.
Tinubu affirmed, “I’m not a man who looks back at everything, because I’ve accepted the assets and liabilities of my predecessors, no matter what has happened in the years past. It’s my responsibility now, as President, to fix it and make it work for the largest common value of our population. I take responsibility for that, and I’m going to do it.”
He added, “It’s not easy to manage a democratic regime full of twists and turns, hills and valleys. But it’s through perseverance, endurance and good determination that we can bring about the relief of a newborn baby in a pregnancy. Motherhood is painful, but the joy is everlasting. I promise you, you will enjoy a better Nigeria.”
Earlier in his remarks, NUPENG President Salimon Oladiti raised key sector issues, particularly calling on the Federal Government to intervene against the casualisation of workers in the upstream oil and gas sector.
Oladiti said, “Our relationship with the International Oil Companies and the indigenous players in the upstream sector has been very cordial. However, we want to bring to your attention an unhealthy trend we have been trying to correct with little to no success: the casualisation of workers, particularly in the upstream sector.”
He commended the administration’s road construction and rehabilitation initiatives—including the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the 1,068-kilometre Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway—noting that improved highways enhance the safety of petroleum tanker drivers across the country.
Oladiti also commended partnership initiatives with Chinese firms to revamp the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, while recommending that the decaying pipeline network of the Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company (NPSC) be handed over to private investors under equity arrangements. Additionally, he urged the presidency to ensure state governors adhere strictly to the Supreme Court ruling granting financial autonomy to local government councils.
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