President Bola Tinubu on Thursday assured Nigerians that the country’s refineries will soon return to full operation, even as he raised concerns that the benefits of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) are currently enriching truck owners more than ordinary commuters.
The President spoke while receiving the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, led by union president Comrade Salimon Akanni Oladiti, who used the visit to appeal for an end to the casualisation of workers across the oil industry.
Tinubu described NUPENG as a key partner in the government’s progress, noting the union’s strategic role in the economy. “You occupy a very critical nerve of the economy of this country,” he told the delegation.
Subsidy Removal and Economic Reset
The President recalled his 2023 campaign pledge to scrap the fuel subsidy despite threats of industrial action from oil sector workers at the time. He said he had stood firm on the decision, and Nigerians were now reaping the benefits through improved government revenue and prompt salary payments across all tiers of government.
He promised to soon publish details of how subsidy savings are being deployed, pointing to ongoing infrastructure projects including the Lagos–Ibadan, Abuja–Kaduna, Abuja–Kano and Sokoto–Badagry highways as evidence of the funding unlocked by the reforms.
“It’s a system of financial re-engineering and reset,” Tinubu said, thanking the union for its cooperation through the transition.
CNG Benefits Not Trickling Down — Tinubu
On the CNG rollout, the President said while the initiative was designed to ease transportation costs, its gains were being captured mainly by truck owners rather than passed on to commuters. He appealed to NUPENG to encourage drivers to extend the benefits to the public.
“Whatever benefit is coming from CNG is going into the pockets of truck owners. It’s not spreading as fast as I would like, but it should spread,” he said.
Refineries Will Work Again — Tinubu
Addressing the state of Nigeria’s refineries, Tinubu insisted that a structural reset was underway and that the facilities would soon become fully functional and profitable. He said he had taken responsibility for fixing longstanding sector challenges rather than blaming previous administrations.
“The refineries you mentioned are going to come back to work. Ordinary flame and smoke from a refinery doesn’t mean it’s working until it’s profitable and yields the value for which it was built,” he said.
He likened the pains of economic reform to childbirth, promising Nigerians eventual relief. “Motherhood is painful, but the joy is everlasting. I promise you, you will enjoy a better Nigeria,” he said.
NUPENG Raises Casualisation Concerns
In his remarks, Oladiti decried the persistent casualisation of workers, particularly in the oil and gas upstream sector, describing it as an unwholesome practice that oil companies had resisted correcting despite the union’s efforts.
He noted that NUPENG and its counterpart, PENGASSAN, had exercised restraint despite the provocation, mindful of the economic disruption any industrial action could cause.
“We urge you to use your good offices to stop the casualisation of workers in our sector,” he told the President, while commending the Minister of Labour, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, for his supportive engagement with the union.
Oladiti also praised the federal government’s ongoing rehabilitation of highways, which he said had improved safety for tanker drivers, and commended the administration’s partnership with Chinese firms to revive the Warri and Port Harcourt refineries.
He further appealed for the resuscitation of the Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company (NPSC) depots nationwide, recommending that they be handed over to private investors under an equity arrangement to complement ongoing refinery revival efforts.
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