Tinubu Bets on PH, Warri Refineries Despite Obasanjo’s Doubts

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has insisted that Nigeria’s state-owned Port Harcourt and Warri refineries will return to operation, despite former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s doubts about the viability of government-run refineries.

Speaking at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, while receiving the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, Tinubu said his administration was working to make the refineries operational and profitable.

Tinubu said he had accepted responsibility for the inherited assets and liabilities and was determined to make the refineries work for Nigerians.

His position contrasts with Obasanjo’s long-standing call for private-sector involvement in the management of government-owned refineries. Obasanjo has argued that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited cannot successfully operate the facilities, citing their size, poor maintenance and corruption.

Obasanjo also recalled that his administration had attempted to transfer refinery operations to private investors, including a proposed deal involving Aliko Dangote, which was later reversed by the administration of the late former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

Energy expert Dan Kunle has also opposed continued government spending on the old refineries, urging Tinubu to privatise them and redirect public funds to other sectors.

However, the Port Harcourt Refinery Host Community Bulk Petroleum Retailers Association backed the President’s position, saying the refinery’s revival would create jobs, boost businesses and improve energy security in Rivers State.

The administration now faces the challenge of proving that the refineries can move beyond repeated rehabilitation efforts to sustained and commercially viable operations.