Atiku to Tinubu: Stop blaming your predecessors, take responsibility for refinery woes

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has accused the Bola Tinubu administration of worsening Nigeria’s refinery problems, saying the president can no longer blame his predecessors for the country’s petroleum sector challenges.

Atiku, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), spoke in a statement issued on Sunday by Phrank Shaibu, his senior special assistant on public communication.

He was reacting to Tinubu’s recent comments that he had accepted responsibility for the “assets and liabilities” inherited from previous administrations.

Recall that President Tinubu made the remarks when the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), led by Salimon Oladiti, paid him a visit at the presidential villa in Abuja.

Atiku said it is “political escapism” for Tinubu to blame previous administrations for the condition of Nigeria’s refineries after his government financed their rehabilitation and presented their return to operation as an achievement.

He cited NNPC financial records which, according to him, showed that the combined obligations of the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries to the national oil company increased from about N4.52 trillion at the end of 2023 to N8.67 trillion at the end of 2024.

Atiku said the increase of about N4.15 trillion occurred under Tinubu.

“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,” he said.

“Now that the celebration has turned into embarrassment, the same administration wants Nigerians to believe that the refineries are merely liabilities inherited from previous governments.

“Mr President, you claimed the refinery when you thought it was working. You cannot disown it now that the smoke has cleared.”

The former vice-president said the government owed Nigerians an explanation on how funds committed to the refineries had translated into actual benefits.

“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.

“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 said Tinubu cannot claim credit for projects when they appear successful and blame his predecessors when they fail.

He stated that Nigerians cannot afford another four years of what he described as wasteful spending 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,” he added.