Reviving local refineries key to ending fuel crisis – NUPENG

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has thrown its weight behind the partnership between the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and Chinese firms to revive the Warri and Port Harcourt refineries, saying Nigerians are desperate for a functional local refining system. NUPENG President, Salimon Akanni Oladiti, in a statement on […]

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has thrown its weight behind the partnership between the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and Chinese firms to revive the Warri and Port Harcourt refineries, saying Nigerians are desperate for a functional local refining system.

NUPENG President, Salimon Akanni Oladiti, in a statement on Thursday, described the agreement as a major step toward ending Nigeria’s long-standing dependence on imported petroleum products despite being one of Africa’s leading crude oil producers.

The deal involves a Memorandum of Understanding signed between NNPCL and two Chinese firms — Sanjiang Chemical Company Limited and Xingcheng (Fuzhou) Industrial Park Operation and Management Co. Ltd — under a proposed Technical Equity Partnership aimed at completing and operating the refineries.

Oladiti said the collapse and underperformance of local refineries over the years had worsened fuel prices, weakened the naira, increased inflation and deepened economic hardship for millions of Nigerians.

He said workers and ordinary citizens have continued to bear the burden of unstable fuel supply, rising transportation costs and harsh living conditions caused by the failure of the country’s refining sector.

“The agreement with the Chinese firms presents an opportunity for the country to reposition its oil and gas sector, restore public confidence in the nation’s refining capacity, create employment opportunities and reduce the economic pressure associated with fuel importation,” he said.

The NUPENG president, however, warned against another cycle of abandoned refinery rehabilitation promises, noting that Nigerians have become weary of projects that consumed huge public funds without tangible results.

He urged all parties involved in the partnership to ensure transparency, accountability and timely execution, stressing that the refinery revival must translate into real economic relief for citizens battling rising living costs.

Oladiti also called on the Federal Government and NNPCL to sustain policies and partnerships that prioritise national development, energy security and the welfare of Nigerians.