The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers has called on the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to ensure that the newly signed partnership with Chinese firms for the rehabilitation of the Warri and Port Harcourt refineries delivers concrete results, saying Nigerians are tired of repeated promises without visible progress.
The call was made by the President of NUPENG, Salimon Oladiti, while reacting to the agreement aimed at reviving the nation’s struggling refineries, describing the initiative as a critical step toward repositioning Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
The agreement at the centre of the reaction was signed in Jiaxing City, China, on April 30, 2026, by the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd, Bayo Ojulari, alongside the Chairman of Sanjiang Chemical Company, Guan Jianzhong, and the Chairman of Xinganchen (Fuzhou) Industrial Park Operation and Management Co. Ltd, Bill Bi.
Under the proposed framework, the partnership will focus on completing outstanding rehabilitation works at the refineries, as well as operating and maintaining both facilities to ensure efficient and sustainable performance.
The collaboration is structured through a potential Technical Equity Partnership in support of the completion and operation of both facilities.
Oladiti said the move would effectively address the long-standing challenges in Nigeria’s petroleum sector and reduce the country’s heavy dependence on imported petroleum products despite its position as a major oil-producing nation. He said the agreement presents an opportunity for the country to reposition its oil and gas sector, restore public confidence in the nation’s refining capacity, create employment opportunities, encourage industrial growth, and strengthen energy security.
However, his commendation came with a firm warning. “Nigerians are tired of repeated refinery rehabilitation promises and projects that consumed huge public resources without delivering lasting results,” he said, urging all parties involved to ensure transparency, accountability, professionalism, and timely execution of the agreement.
According to The Sun Nigeria, Oladiti added that the revival of the Warri and Port Harcourt refineries must go beyond political announcements and translate into real economic relief and tangible benefits for Nigerians already battling difficult economic realities.
The union’s call reflects a broader public scepticism that has greeted the MoU. A civil society coalition also raised concerns over transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s refinery sector following the signing, with its national president, Dr. Tekeme Umukoro, saying Nigeria can no longer tolerate a dangerous cycle of waste, opacity, and endless promises in the management of the nation’s refineries, noting that successive governments had committed billions of dollars to refinery rehabilitation projects without achieving functional state-owned refineries operating at full commercial capacity.
The Warri and Port Harcourt refineries have remained largely inactive for years despite several turnaround maintenance efforts, with many Nigerians expressing frustration over the continued reliance on imported petroleum products in an oil-rich nation.
