President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has renewed his commitment to reviving Nigeria’s refineries, assuring Nigerians that the Federal Government will not allow the huge investments in the facilities to go to waste.
Tinubu gave the assurance on Thursday in Abuja when he received the national leadership of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, led by its President, Comrade Salimon Akanni Oladiti, at the State House.
Responding to NUPENG’s call for the restoration of the country’s refineries, the President said his administration would adopt a systematic and evidence-based approach to resolving the structural, operational, financial and managerial challenges affecting the facilities.
He explained that detailed technical assessments and research would be conducted to establish the actual problems confronting the refineries and develop sustainable solutions.
Tinubu stressed that merely seeing flames or smoke from a refinery was not enough to prove that the facility was functioning effectively, noting that the ultimate objective was to ensure that the refineries operated profitably and delivered the value for which they were established.
The President also said he had accepted responsibility for addressing the challenges inherited from previous administrations, regardless of how long the problems had existed.
On local government autonomy, Tinubu disclosed that constitutional matters surrounding its implementation were being reviewed, with the possibility of fine-tuning the framework. He appealed to stakeholders to remain patient and supportive as the process continued.
The President also recalled his relationship with the late former NUPENG President, Frank Kokori, whom he described as a key figure in the struggle for Nigeria’s democracy.
Tinubu further promised greater involvement of NUPENG in the implementation of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas, CNG. He urged the union to help ensure that the benefits of the programme extend to ordinary Nigerians and commuters.
Speaking at the meeting, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, commended NUPENG for recognising what he described as positive developments arising from the Tinubu administration’s reform agenda.
Idris said the union’s position had contributed to reducing tensions between organised labour and the Federal Government. He also recalled previous engagements between the government and labour unions, including the President’s approval of wage increases and his position that workers should not have to wait five years before demanding a review of the minimum wage.
The minister highlighted the removal of fuel subsidy and increased infrastructure development as some of the major reforms of the administration.
Earlier, NUPENG President Salimon Akanni Oladiti praised Tinubu for taking what he described as the courageous decision to remove the fuel subsidy.
According to him, the policy had reduced financial pressure on the government and created room for greater investment in infrastructure and other sectors.
Oladiti also commended the administration’s renewed focus on federal highways, citing the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the 1,068-kilometre Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway as significant projects.
He said improved roads would enhance safety for motorists and petroleum tanker drivers while reducing accidents, product spillages and loss of lives.
However, the NUPENG leader urged the Federal Government to intensify efforts to restore the country’s refineries, arguing that functional refineries would improve Nigeria’s energy security, reduce dependence on imported petroleum products and create more employment opportunities.
At the end of the meeting, NUPENG conferred on President Tinubu the title of Grand Patron of the union.
