Atiku Abubakar Challenges Tinubu on Refinery Accountability

Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate and former Vice President, accused President Bola Tinubu of deflecting responsibility for Nigeria's troubled petroleum refineries onto previous governments. In a statement released by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku emphasized that after more than three years in office, the Tinubu administration must account for the billions of naira allocated to the refineries.

He referenced financial records from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), indicating that the obligations of the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries rose from approximately ₦4.52 trillion in 2023 to ₦8.67 trillion in 2024, an increase of about ₦4.15 trillion. Atiku pointed out that NNPCL's CEO, Bayo Ojulari, admitted the refineries were operating at a "monumental loss." He challenged Tinubu to take ownership of both successes and failures, citing a previous announcement that the Port Harcourt refinery was operating at 70% capacity in November 2024, which contradicted the current claims of inherited liabilities.