President Bola Tinubu has assured Nigerians that government-owned refineries will return to operation after ongoing reforms aimed at making them commercially viable and sustainable.

Mr Tinubu gave the assurance on Thursday while receiving the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), led by its President, Sulaimon Oladiti, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The president said the administration was focused on restructuring the economics of the refineries to ensure profitability and value creation.

He stressed that refinery operations would not be judged by visible activity alone but by their ability to deliver sustainable returns.

“The refineries that you mentioned are going to come back to work. We are just building a very firm reset and structural reworking of the economics of it,” he said.

Mr Tinubu said he had accepted the assets and liabilities inherited from previous administrations and remained committed to fixing challenges in the sector.

“It is my responsibility now as President to fix it and make it work for the largest common value of our population. I take responsibility for that and I am going to do it,” he said.

On the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative, Mr Tinubu said the government would continue to expand the programme to reduce transportation costs and improve energy security.

He, however, urged transport operators to ensure that the benefits of CNG reached commuters and ordinary Nigerians.

“Whatever benefit that is coming from CNG is going into the pockets of truck owners. It is not spreading as fast as I would like it, but it should spread,” he said.

The president commended NUPENG for its support and cooperation with government policies aimed at repositioning the economy.

He recalled discussions with labour leaders before the removal of fuel subsidy, noting that the decision was necessary for the country’s long-term economic stability.

Mr Tinubu said the savings from subsidy removal had enabled the government to finance critical infrastructure projects and improve public finances.

He cited ongoing projects such as the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Road and Sokoto-Badagry Highway as examples of investments funded through the reforms.

The president urged Nigerians to remain patient and continue supporting democratic governance, describing democracy as a system that requires perseverance, sacrifice and collective effort.

“It is through perseverance, endurance and determination that we can bring about relief. The pain may be temporary, but the joy is everlasting,” he said.

Earlier, Mr Oladiti appealed to the president to address the growing casualisation of workers in the oil and gas industry, particularly in the upstream sector.

“Our relationship with the International Oil Companies and the indigenous players in the upstream sector has been very cordial.

“However, we want to seize this opportunity to bring to your attention an unhealthy trend we have been trying to correct with little to no success.

“It is the casualisation of workers, particularly in the upstream sector.

“We have engaged the management of some of the affected companies without results. Mr President, we urge you to use your good offices to stop casualisation of workers in our sector.”

He also commended efforts to revive the nation’s refineries and called for the rehabilitation of the Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company (NPSC) depots across the country.

 (NAN)