Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has challenged President Bola Tinubu to stop deflecting blame onto past administrations and instead explain what happened to the billions of naira channelled into Nigeria's refineries during his own tenure. The former vice president made the remarks in a statement issued and made available to Legit.ng on August 16, 2026, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
Refinery Debts Nearly Doubled in 2024
At the heart of Atiku's case are figures drawn from NNPC's financial records. According to those records, the combined obligations of the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries to the national oil company rose from roughly ₦4.52 trillion at the end of 2023 to ₦8.67 trillion by the close of 2024, an increase of about ₦4.15 trillion within a single year of Tinubu's presidency. Atiku argued that these numbers make it impossible for the administration to frame the refineries purely as a burden left behind by previous governments.
"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. NNPC announced that it was operating at 70 per cent capacity and expressly presented it as an achievement under President Tinubu's leadership," Atiku 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."
Where Are the Products?
Atiku pressed further, noting that NNPC's own leadership had since admitted the refineries were operating at a "monumental loss" and that public money was effectively being wasted. He listed a series of unanswered questions for the presidency.
"So Nigerians deserve answers. If the combined obligations of these refineries jumped by more than ₦4 trillion in 2024 alone, what exactly did Nigerians receive in return? Where did the money go? Where are the products? Where are the savings Nigerians were promised?" Atiku asked.
The former vice president argued that the financial cost was especially painful because ordinary Nigerians continue to buy petrol at high prices while the facilities responsible for the spending have failed to deliver consistent output. "Think about what ₦4 trillion could do for Nigeria. Think about the universities struggling with overcrowded lecture halls, hospitals without modern equipment, roads that have become death traps and communities without electricity or potable water," he said.
Three Years in Office, No More Excuses
Atiku closed by warning that after more than three years in office, Tinubu could no longer credibly attribute his administration's difficulties solely to inherited problems. "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," Atiku concluded.
