Atiku to Tinubu: Stop blaming Buhari, account for ₦4trn refinery spend

Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has challenged President Bola Tinubu to explain the expenditure on Nigeria's refineries, arguing against blaming former President Muhammadu Buhari for their ongoing issues. Abubakar's Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, stated that the combined obligations of the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries surged from approximately ₦4.52 trillion at the end of 2023 to ₦8.67 trillion by the end of 2024.

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If the combined obligations of these refineries jumped by more than ₦4 trillion in 2024 alone, what exactly did Nigerians receive in return? Where did the money go? Where are the products? Where are the savings Nigerians were promised?

This represents an increase of roughly ₦4.15 trillion within a single year of Tinubu's presidency. Shaibu pointed out the contradiction in the administration celebrating the Port Harcourt refinery's supposed resumption of operations at 70 percent capacity in November 2024, only for NNPC leadership to later admit the facilities were incurring "monumental loss."

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Think about what ₦4 trillion could do for Nigeria. Think about the universities struggling with overcrowded lecture halls, hospitals without modern equipment, roads that have become death traps and communities without electricity or potable water.

Abubakar dismissed the administration's references to inherited liabilities as political maneuvering. He demanded accountability, asking what Nigerians received in return for the trillions spent and where the money went. He contrasted the refinery spending with critical needs in education, healthcare, and infrastructure, calling the situation a "failure of stewardship."

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an unforgivable failure of stewardship

Abubakar warned against a second term for President Tinubu, asserting that his administration's record after more than three years shows "enormous expenditure, extravagant announcements and very little Nigerians can hold in their hands." He concluded that Nigeria cannot afford another four years of "paying for failure."

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President Tinubu’s scorecard after more than three years is increasingly a story of fire and smoke, enormous expenditure, extravagant announcements and very little Nigerians can hold in their hands. Nigeria cannot afford another four years of paying for failure.