By our Reporter
President Bola Tinubu has assured Nigerians that the country’s refineries will be revived after a comprehensive review and restructuring, stressing that the facilities will not be allowed to waste away despite the huge investments made in them over the years.
Tinubu gave the assurance 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, at the State House.
Responding to NUPENG’s call for the revival of the nation’s refineries, the President said the challenges confronting the facilities would be addressed through detailed research, technical assessments, restructuring and improved leadership, rather than short-term interventions.
“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,” Tinubu said.
He stressed that merely having a refinery operating would not amount to success unless the facility was commercially viable and delivered the value for which it was established.
“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,” he added.
Tinubu said he had accepted responsibility for addressing the challenges inherited from previous administrations, assuring that his government would work to reposition the refineries for the benefit of Nigerians.
“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,” he said.
The President also appealed to stakeholders to support the democratic process, describing democracy as a system that provides freedom and opportunity and promising that Nigerians would ultimately enjoy a better country.
On local government autonomy, Tinubu said constitutional issues surrounding its implementation were being reviewed for possible fine-tuning, while appealing for understanding among stakeholders.
The President also recalled his relationship with former NUPENG President, the late Frank Kokori, whom he credited with contributing to Nigeria’s democratic struggle.
“You brought good memories of my relationship with Frank Kokori; may his soul rest in peace. We struggled for this democratic dispensation together,” Tinubu said.
He further promised greater inclusion of NUPENG in the implementation of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), while challenging the union to ensure that the benefits of the programme reach ordinary commuters.
Earlier, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, commended NUPENG for publicly acknowledging what he described as the positive outcomes of the Tinubu administration’s reform agenda.
Idris said the growing understanding between the government and organised labour had helped reduce friction and encouraged constructive engagement.
He described NUPENG’s recognition of the administration’s reforms as significant, particularly its acknowledgement of the removal of fuel subsidy and the ongoing infrastructure development across the country.
The NUPENG President, Comrade Oladiti, commended Tinubu for removing the fuel subsidy, describing the decision as courageous and one that had saved the country from years of financial drain and depletion of national reserves.
According to him, the resources freed by the policy were beginning to support critical infrastructure development and other sectors of the economy.
Oladiti particularly praised the administration’s renewed focus on major highway projects, including the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the 1,068-kilometre Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway.
He said improved roads were particularly important to NUPENG members, especially tanker drivers and other road users, because they would reduce accidents, fuel spillages and fatalities.
“For our members, a good road is the difference between arriving home safely and never arriving at all,” he said.
However, the NUPENG President urged the Federal Government to sustain efforts towards reviving the country’s refineries, arguing that functional refineries would strengthen Nigeria’s energy security, reduce dependence on imported petroleum products and create more employment opportunities.
At the end of the meeting, the NUPENG leadership decorated President Tinubu as the Grand Patron of the Union.
The meeting marked another engagement between the Federal Government and organised labour on key economic reforms, the petroleum industry and infrastructure development.
