Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has accused the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of worsening Nigeria’s refinery challenges, arguing that the President can no longer attribute the problems in the petroleum sector to previous governments.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), made the allegation in a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
He was reacting to Tinubu’s recent declaration that he had accepted responsibility for the “assets and liabilities” inherited from previous administrations.
The President made the statement when the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), led by its Executive President, Salimon Oladiti, visited him at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Atiku described Tinubu’s reference to inherited liabilities as “political escapism,” arguing that the current administration had itself financed the rehabilitation of the country’s refineries and presented their reported revival as a major achievement.
According to Atiku, financial records of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) showed that the combined obligations of the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries increased from about N4.52 trillion at the end of 2023 to N8.67 trillion at the end of 2024.
He said the increase of approximately N4.15 trillion occurred under the Tinubu administration.
“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,” Atiku said.
He questioned why the administration was now describing the refineries as liabilities inherited from previous governments after taking credit for their rehabilitation.
“Mr President, you claimed the refinery when you thought it was working. You cannot disown it now that the smoke has cleared,” he added.
Atiku Demands Accountability
The former vice-president said Nigerians deserved explanations on how funds committed to rehabilitating the refineries had translated into tangible benefits.
He asked the government to account for the resources spent on the facilities and explain why Nigerians had not seen corresponding improvements in petroleum products supply.
“So, Nigerians deserve answers. If the combined obligations of these refineries jumped by more than N4 trillion in 2024 alone, what exactly did Nigerians receive in return?” he asked.
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“Where did the money go? Where are the products? Where are the savings Nigerians were promised? And where is the refinery your government celebrated before television cameras?”
Atiku further accused the administration of taking credit for projects when they appear successful while shifting responsibility to previous governments when challenges emerge.
He warned that Nigerians could not afford another four years of what he described as wasteful expenditure and policy failures.
“Mr President, stop blaming your predecessors. After more than three years, you are no longer merely managing inherited liabilities. You are creating your own — and increasingly, your government itself has become the biggest liability Nigerians are being forced to carry,” Atiku said.
