By Adekunle Oluwafunmilayo
The President and chief of staff of the republic of Nigeria President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assured Nigeria’s that the four refineries will be revived after undergoing comprehensive restructuring, technical assessment and operational reset to ensure they become profitable and deliver value to the economy.
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.
The President said the government would not allow the refineries to waste away, considering the huge investments made in them over the years.
He explained that the administration would adopt an evidence-based approach to address the structural, operational, financial and managerial challenges that have hindered the facilities from functioning optimally.
“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.
“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,” Tinubu said.
The President added that he had accepted responsibility for fixing the challenges surrounding the nation's assets, irrespective of what happened under previous administrations.
“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 stated.
On local government autonomy, Tinubu said constitutional issues surrounding its implementation were being reviewed, with a view to possible adjustments, while appealing to stakeholders for understanding.
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, and it was very tough for us to have this democracy,” Tinubu said.
He further promised greater inclusion of NUPENG in the implementation of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), but challenged the union to ensure the benefits of the programme reach ordinary commuters.
The NUPENG leadership commended Tinubu for removing the petrol subsidy, describing the decision as courageous and one that had saved the country from decades of financial drain and depletion of national reserves.
Oladiti said the policy had begun freeing resources for infrastructure development and other critical sectors of the economy.
He particularly praised the administration's renewed focus on federal highways, citing the ongoing 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the 1,068-kilometre Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway.
“For our members, a good road is the difference between arriving home safely and never arriving at all,” Oladiti said.
He, however, urged the President to sustain efforts to revive the country's refineries, stressing that functional refineries would strengthen energy security, reduce dependence on imported petroleum products and create more employment opportunities.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, described NUPENG's acknowledgement of the administration's reforms as significant, saying it had helped reduce friction between the government and organised labour.
Idris said it was uncommon for trade unions to publicly acknowledge government policies and return to appreciate their outcomes.
He cited the removal of fuel subsidy and ongoing infrastructure development as evidence of the impact of the administration's reform agenda.
According to him, NUPENG's recognition of the reforms, particularly the subsidy removal and infrastructure projects, represented a positive development in the relationship between government and organised labour.
At the end of the meeting, NUPENG leaders decorated President Tinubu as the Grand Patron of the union.
