Reps To Probe $18bn Spent On Non-Functional Refineries

The House of Representatives has said it volition analyse astir $18 cardinal successful funds appropriated and disbursed for rehabilitating the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries betwixt 2010 and 2024.

The probe seeks to ascertain the presumption of the refineries, analyse however nationalist funds were utilised and place agencies liable for infractions oregon mismanagement.

This followed the adoption of a question connected “Non-functionality of State-owned Refineries,” sponsored by Hon. Sesi Oluwaseun Whingan (APC, Lagos) astatine plenary connected Thursday.

Whingan moved the question by lamenting the persistent non-functionality of Nigeria’s state-owned refineries successful Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna. Despite implicit 2 decades of rehabilitation efforts and an estimated expenditure of $18 cardinal connected turnaround maintenance, determination person been nary tangible results.

He recalled the caller nationalist statements by Nigeria’s foremost industrialist, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, and erstwhile President Olusegun Obasanjo, who expressed doubts astir the viability of these refineries and described the multi-billion-dollar investments arsenic futile, sparking wide nationalist interest and outrage implicit imaginable mismanagement.

The lawmaker recalled that: “In 2007, during the medication of President Olusegun Obasanjo, Alhaji Dangote and different backstage investors acquired the refineries, but the succeeding medication of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua reversed the transaction, opting alternatively for rehabilitation utilizing nationalist funds, a determination that has yielded nary important operational improvements.”

He expressed interest that: “on Thursday, July 10, 2025, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Bayo Ojulari, successful an interrogation published by the Punch newspaper, sought to region the existent medication from the monumental mismanagement of Nigeria’s state-owned refineries successful Port Harcourt, Wari, and Kaduna, confirming their continued non-functionality contempt important investments estimated astatine $18 billion, and projected the imaginable merchantability of these assets, thereby raising captious questions astir fiscal responsibility, strategical plus management, and the semipermanent implications for Nigeria’s vigor information and economical stability.”

Whingan expressed interest that contempt accordant yearly budgetary allocations implicit the years, determination is nary verifiable grounds of important rehabilitation outcomes, representing a gross misuse of nationalist funds and a betrayal of nationalist trust.

“Aware that Nigeria’s economical stableness and vigor information are inextricably linked to a functional and accountable downstream petroleum sector, peculiarly pursuing the existent administration’s removal of the petrol subsidy, underscores the urgent request for operational refineries to mitigate economical hardship.

“Convinced that a comprehensive, transparent, and time-bound probe is indispensable to ascertain the existent operational and structural presumption of Port Harcourt, Wari, and Kaduna refineries, analyse the utilisation of each allocated funds and the effectiveness of rehabilitation efforts.

“Identify immoderate infractions, mismanagement, oregon corrupt practices successful managing these assets and suggest actionable reforms to safeguard aboriginal nationalist investments and guarantee the sustainability of Nigeria’s lipid and state infrastructure.

Upon adopting the motion, the House referred it to the Committees connected Petroleum Resources (Downstream and Midstream) to behaviour the probe and study for further legislative enactment wrong 4 weeks.