President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Thursday in Abuja, said refineries will not be allowed to waste away, given the huge investments made over many years, assuring that in-depth research, restructuring, and leadership will reposition them to deliver value and profit.
President Tinubu stated this 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, while responding to a request by NUPENG to revive the nation’s oil refineries, explained that the challenges confronting the refineries would be addressed through a systematic, evidence-based approach rather than short-term interventions.
According to him, the Federal Government will encourage detailed research and technical assessments to identify the structural, operational, financial and managerial challenges affecting the facilities and develop sustainable solutions.
“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.
“I’m not a man who goes looking back on everything because I’ve accepted the assets and liabilities of my predecessor. 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.
“I will just appeal to all of you to let us work diligently and passionately on this democracy. Democracy is about celebration of freedom and opportunity that must be cherished by all of us, just like a painful childbirth, but the joy is everlasting and long. And I promise you, you will enjoy a better Nigeria,” the President said.
Responding to the remark on the implementation of local government autonomy, President Tinubu promised that the constitutional issues involved in its implementation are being reviewed for possible fine-tuning. He appealed for understanding among stakeholders.
The President also took the opportunity to acknowledge a former President of the Union, the late Frank Kokori, for his role in deepening democracy in Nigeria.
“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, and you have been a very good partner of the government in progress,” he said.
President Tinubu also promised the NUPENG executives more inclusion in the implementation of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas. He, however, challenged them to make the effects of the CNG drive get down to the commuters.
In his remarks, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, commended NUPENG for acknowledging the positive outcomes of President Tinubu’s reform agenda, stating that this mutual understanding has reduced friction between trade unions and the government.
“Your Excellency, it is not common that you find trade unions come back to the President and say, ‘ Thank you for what you have done. ‘ I think this is an uncommon situation. We saw that when the NLC leadership came to you two years ago, you approved the wage increase for Nigerian workers.
“In that meeting, you mentioned to the Labour Unions that there was no need for them to wait for five years before they could come for the review of the minimum wage.
“They actually had that request written somewhere, but they didn’t know that this was something that you already had in mind, so, for the first time, we saw the Labour Unions standing and giving you a standing ovation here in this room; it is very uncommon”, the Minister said.
The Minister added that it was instructive that the leadership of an influential and central trade union, such as NUPENG, has come to acknowledge and appreciate the positive developments arising from this administration’s reform agenda and its impact across various sectors of the economy.
“For their leader to come and recognise the reforms that you are doing, especially the major reforms you undertook in this country – the removal of fuel subsidy and also acknowledging that everywhere you go is a construction site in this country, is a good development,” he said.
The NUPENG President, Comrade Oladiti, commended the President for taking the bold decision to end the fuel subsidy regime, describing the policy as a courageous step that has saved the country from decades of financial drain and depletion of national reserves.
According to him, the decision to remove the fuel subsidy has begun to yield enormous benefits for the country by freeing resources for critical infrastructure development and other sectors of the economy.
He particularly commended President Tinubu’s renewed commitment to rehabilitating and constructing major highways across the country, especially the ongoing construction of the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the 1,068-kilometre Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway as major examples of infrastructure projects.
“For our members, a good road is the difference between arriving home safely and never arriving at all. Every stretch of highway rehabilitated or constructed means fewer accidents, fewer spillages, fewer lives lost, and less stress for the men behind the wheels. Mr President, that is a reform our members feel in their bones, and for it we say thank you because our tanker drivers and other road users are already seeing the benefits of the rehabilitation and construction of federal highways,” he said.
He, however, appealed to the President to sustain efforts to revive the refineries, stressing that functional refineries would strengthen Nigeria’s energy security, reduce dependence on imported petroleum products, and create more opportunities for Nigerian workers.
The NUPENG leaders later decorated the President as the Grand Patron of the Union.
