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

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has blamed President Bola Tinubu for shirking responsibility for Nigeria's struggling petroleum refineries, saying the incumbent government must account for the billions spent on them. In a statement, Atiku accused Tinubu of blaming past administrations for inherited liabilities after more than three years in office.

He pointed to financial records from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, showing that the combined debt of the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries surged from ₦4.52tn in 2023 to ₦8.67tn in 2024, a ₦4.15tn jump in a single year. This, Atiku argued, raises questions about the financial commitments and benefits Nigerians received from the refineries.

NNPCL CEO Bayo Ojulari admitted in February 2026 that the state-owned refineries were operating at significant losses, making their continuation under the current arrangement economically destructive. Atiku criticized the government for celebrating the refinery's restart in November 2024 while simultaneously calling it a liability.

He demanded answers on how the refineries' debt ballooned by more than ₦4tn in a year and what Nigerians received in return. Atiku warned that Nigeria could not afford another four years of "paying for failure," urging Tinubu to assume responsibility for the accumulated debts.