Tinubu Pledges to Revive Nigeria’s Government-Owned Refineries

President Bola Tinubu has assured Nigerians that government-owned refineries and sustained value. Speaking during a meeting with the leadership will return to operation as his administration restructures them to ensure commercial viability of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), led by President Sulaimon Oladiti, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Tinubu said the goal is not simply to restart the facilities but to make them economically productive.

He said his administration has taken responsibility for the assets and liabilities inherited from previous governments and is committed to making the refineries work for Nigerians.

Tinubu also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to expanding Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as an alternative to petrol, while urging transport operators to ensure lower fuel costs are reflected in fares paid by commuters.

He linked the availability of funds for major infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Road and Sokoto-Badagry Highway, to the economic reforms implemented by his administration following the removal of fuel subsidies. The President also said the government would publish details of how savings from subsidy removal have been utilised, addressing a long-standing demand for greater transparency over the policy’s financial impact.

NUPENG used the meeting to call for government intervention in the casualisation of workers across Nigeria’s upstream oil and gas sector. Oladiti said the union has been working to address the practice, which has raised concerns over job security and workers’ rights within the industry. The engagement highlights the continuing challenge of balancing the government’s efforts to reform and commercialise the petroleum sector with the need to protect workers and ensure that the benefits of those reforms reach the wider population.