Tinubu Pledges Refinery Revival Through Structural Reset as N...

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday assured Nigerians that the country’s refineries would be revived through a comprehensive restructuring process, insisting that the facilities must become commercially viable rather than merely operational.

The President gave the assurance while receiving 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 Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Responding to the union’s appeal for the rehabilitation of the nation’s refineries, Tinubu said his administration was pursuing a systematic, evidence-based approach to address the structural, operational, financial and managerial challenges affecting the facilities.

He stressed that the Federal Government would undertake detailed technical assessments to ensure the refineries return to profitable operations capable of delivering value to the economy.

“The refineries that you mentioned are going to come back to work. We are building a very firm reset and structural reworking of the economy around them. Ordinary flame and smoke from a refinery do not mean it is working until it is profitable and yields the value for which it was built,” the President said.

Tinubu added that his administration had accepted responsibility for the assets and liabilities inherited from previous governments and remained committed to fixing the nation’s critical infrastructure.

“I’ve accepted the assets and liabilities of my predecessor. Whatever happened in the past, it is now my responsibility as President to fix it and make it work for the greatest good of Nigerians,” he stated.

The President also appealed to Nigerians to continue supporting democratic governance, expressing confidence that ongoing reforms would ultimately deliver a more prosperous nation.

On the implementation of local government autonomy, Tinubu said constitutional issues surrounding the policy were being reviewed for possible adjustments and urged stakeholders to be patient.

He also paid tribute to the late former NUPENG President, Frank Kokori, describing him as a key figure in Nigeria’s pro-democracy struggle.

Tinubu further assured the union of greater involvement in implementing the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative, while urging its leadership to ensure the benefits of the programme reach transport operators and commuters nationwide.

Earlier, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, commended NUPENG for acknowledging the positive impact of the administration’s economic reforms, describing the gesture as a rare demonstration of cooperation between organised labour and government.

He noted that labour unions had increasingly recognised the benefits of reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidy and improvements in workers’ welfare, citing the administration’s decision to review the national minimum wage ahead of schedule.

According to Idris, NUPENG’s endorsement of the government’s policies reflected growing confidence in the administration’s efforts to reposition the economy.

In his remarks, NUPENG President Salimon Oladiti praised Tinubu for removing the fuel subsidy, describing the decision as bold and necessary to halt years of financial losses and preserve national resources.

He said the policy had created fiscal space for investments in critical infrastructure, particularly major highway projects across the country.

Oladiti highlighted the ongoing 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the 1,068-kilometre Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway as projects that would improve road safety and ease the movement of petroleum products.

“For our members, good roads mean fewer accidents, fewer spillages, fewer lives lost and safer journeys. Our tanker drivers are already seeing the benefits of the rehabilitation and construction of federal highways,” he said.

Despite commending the administration’s reforms, the NUPENG leader urged the Federal Government to sustain efforts to restore the nation’s refineries, arguing that functional refining facilities would strengthen energy security, reduce dependence on imported petroleum products and create more employment opportunities.

The visit ended with the union decorating President Tinubu as the Grand Patron of NUPENG.