Stop blaming past govts for refineries’ woes, Atiku tells Tinubu

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of deflecting responsibility for Nigeria's struggling petroleum refineries onto past administrations. Abubakar insists the current government must account for billions of naira invested in these facilities during its tenure.

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President Tinubu cannot have it both ways. When the cameras were rolling in November 2024, his government told Nigerians that the Port Harcourt refinery was back. NNPCL announced that it was operating at 70 per cent capacity and expressly presented it as an achievement under President Tinubu’s leadership.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Abubakar argued that the Tinubu administration can no longer attribute inherited problems after more than three years in office. He pointed to Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) records, which he claims show that the combined obligations of the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries surged from approximately ₦4.52 trillion in 2023 to ₦8.67 trillion in 2024. This increase of about ₦4.15 trillion in a single year, Abubakar contends, raises serious questions about financial commitments and their returns.

Abubakar also referenced a recent admission by NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, who stated that the state-owned refineries were operating at a "monumental loss." Ojulari had disclosed in February 2026 that NNPCL halted operations after an internal assessment revealed low utilization, a lack of profitability, and continued financial losses.

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Now that the celebration has turned into embarrassment, the same administration wants Nigerians to believe that the refineries are merely liabilities inherited from previous governments.

This admission, Abubakar argued, contradicts the Federal Government's earlier claims. He recalled that in November 2024, the government announced the Port Harcourt refinery was back online, operating at 70 percent capacity and presented as a leadership achievement. "Now that the celebration has turned into embarrassment, the same administration wants Nigerians to believe that the refineries are merely liabilities inherited from previous governments," the statement read. Abubakar challenged Tinubu to accept responsibility for both the successes and failures of his administration, stating, "Mr President, you claimed the refinery when you thought it was working. You cannot disown it now that the smoke has cleared."

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Mr President, you claimed the refinery when you thought it was working. You cannot disown it now that the smoke has cleared.