President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to rehabilitating and repositioning Nigeria’s dormant national refineries, declaring that the facilities will not be allowed to become stranded assets.

Tinubu was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Patience Oyekunle, at the 20th OTL Africa Downstream Energy Week in Lagos on Monday.

The President said the government is adopting a more rigorous and commercially sustainable approach to the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries.

“At the same time, the government remains committed to ensuring that existing national refining assets are not allowed to become stranded investments,” the statement said.

“We are pursuing a more rigorous, commercially sustainable approach to the rehabilitation and repositioning of our refineries, supported by technical assessment, stronger partnerships, and improved operational discipline.”

The objective, according to the administration, is for Nigeria to refine more of its crude oil, create greater domestic value and become a reliable supplier of energy to Africa.

The national refineries, managed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), have remained largely inactive for years despite significant spending on turnaround maintenance. The NNPC has signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinese firms as part of ongoing efforts to revive the facilities.

Tinubu also noted the contribution of private refining capacity, particularly the Dangote Refinery, which has reached its 650,000 barrels-per-day nameplate capacity, in strengthening Nigeria’s prospects of becoming a net exporter of refined petroleum products.