The Federal Government is facing a barrage of criticism after the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) confirmed that the country’s long-idle refineries remain non-functional despite over $18 billion spent on their rehabilitation. The revelation has triggered outrage among opposition leaders, policy experts, and civil society groups, with many calling for a full-scale criminal investigation into the failed turnaround maintenance projects.

The controversy was reignited on Friday when NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, in an interview with Bloomberg during the 9th OPEC International Seminar in Vienna, revealed that the refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna remain obsolete and are under strategic review — with the possibility of being sold.

“We’re reviewing all our refinery strategies now. We hope to conclude the review before the end of the year. Sale is not out of the question; all options are on the table,” Ojulari said, admitting that previous rehabilitation efforts had failed due to outdated infrastructure and underperforming technology.

This confirmation came barely a day after Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, expressed strong doubts about the viability of the government-owned NNPCL refineries, even after billions had been sunk into their revamp. Dangote, speaking to members of the Global CEO Africa group at his Lekki-based 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery, argued that the federal refineries were like trying to modernize 40-year-old vehicles with 21st-century engines — an effort doomed to fail.

The political backlash was swift. National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Yunusa Tanko, said the Tinubu administration had deceived Nigerians by claiming the refineries were operational.

“These are part of the lies the government keeps telling. They give false hope without facts. What we are seeing now is evidence of long-term deception,” Tanko said.

Echoing similar sentiments, Peter Ameh, National Secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties, demanded a public probe into the billions spent on the refineries.

“Before talking about selling these national assets, the government must launch a criminal investigation. Who mismanaged these funds? Who lied to Nigerians about their working status?” he asked.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo had previously raised concerns about the viability of Nigeria’s refineries. In several public statements, he criticized the reversal of his administration’s sale of the refineries in 2007. According to Obasanjo, the refineries were sold for $750 million, but his successor, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, cancelled the deal under pressure from NNPC insiders.

Obasanjo argued that even international oil giants like Shell refused to manage Nigeria’s refineries due to their dilapidated condition, and warned that the facilities could eventually be worth less than $200 million as scrap.

“The NNPC knew it couldn’t operate those refineries. Yet, they continued the charade, wasting billions,” Obasanjo said. “In a sane society, the people responsible should be in jail.”

Also weighing in, former Kaduna Senator Shehu Sani warned against repeating past mistakes in the power sector.

“I don’t support selling the refineries, but if we can’t fix them after $18 billion, then selling may be the lesser evil. However, we must ensure they don’t become another DISCO disaster,” Sani said via his X handle.

Prof. Pat Utomi, a renowned political economist, also noted that the repeated promises to rehabilitate the refineries were always economically misguided. “It was always clear these were white elephant projects. They should have been sold long ago,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Olu Agunloye, Secretary of the Social Democratic Party, praised the NNPC’s new leadership for admitting the truth, urging them to move quickly to end corruption and embrace effective private-sector partnerships.

However, some lawmakers are calling for caution. Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Midstream), Henry Okojie, emphasized that refineries are critical national assets and must not be sold hastily.

“We represent millions of Nigerians who own these assets. The House will launch a full forensic investigation into these revelations,” Okojie said. “We must find out what went wrong and who benefited from this monumental waste.”

Despite years of investment, records show that $1.4 billion was allocated for the Port Harcourt refinery in 2021 alone, with hundreds of millions also earmarked for Warri and Kaduna. Between 2013 and 2017, over $396 million was spent on turnaround maintenance — with no operational output to show for it.

As public anger mounts, the Tinubu administration now faces one of its toughest tests yet: restoring trust in public asset management, ensuring accountability, and deciding the fate of Nigeria’s troubled refineries.