The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has demanded a full-scale, independent audit of Nigeria’s state-owned refineries before the federal government proceeds with any plans for their privatisation. The party described recent moves to sell off the refineries as “suspicious” and “potentially criminal,” given the billions of dollars allegedly spent on failed rehabilitation efforts.

In a statement signed by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC expressed alarm over revelations that nearly $18 billion has been expended by successive administrations on the turnaround maintenance of the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries, with the current Tinubu-led government said to have committed an additional $2.8 billion. Despite these investments, the refineries remain moribund, prompting the government to declare them unviable and push for their sale.

“What exactly is being sold — scrap or sovereign assets?” Abdullahi queried, insisting that before any transaction can be deemed legitimate, Nigerians deserve a detailed forensic audit of the funds allegedly spent, along with a technical and structural assessment of the facilities. He warned that privatising the refineries under opaque circumstances could amount to auctioning off national assets to political cronies under the guise of reform.

The ADC also faulted the Tinubu administration’s earlier claims that the refineries had resumed partial operations, describing such statements as misleading and inconsistent with the sudden shift towards privatisation. The party said these contradictions raise concerns about policy coherence and the sincerity of government officials involved in the refinery rehabilitation process.

The statement concluded with a call for legislative hearings involving civil society groups, energy experts, and anti-corruption agencies to ensure transparency and public accountability. “This is not just about public finance—it is about public trust,” the ADC noted. “If this government truly believes in reform, then it must begin with the truth.

Read full statement below

ADC to FG: You Cannot Spend Billions to Repair Refineries—Then Quietly Sell Them Without a Full Audit
“What Exactly Are You Selling—Scrap or Sovereign Assets?”

The African Democratic Congress (ADC), has demanded a full audit of Nigeria’s refineries, citing recent reports that allege that successive governments have spent nearly $18billion on the rehabilitation of the three major refineries in the country.

In a statement by the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary and Coalition Spokesperson, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party questioned whether the Tinubu administration has been deceiving Nigerians, having recently spent over $2.8billion dollars on the refineries, before declaring that they were moribund.

The full statement read:

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has noted with deep concern the recent confirmation by the Tinubu administration and the leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) that the federal government is proceeding with the full privatisation of Nigeria’s state-owned refineries. This development, coming just months after government officials claimed that the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries had resumed partial operations, raises fundamental questions about transparency and policy coherence.

It would be recalled that the APC government recently announced that the refineries were already working. It is therefore curious that the same government, having spent such humongous amounts on the refineries, is now planning to sell them off.

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ADC is concerned about the perennial waste and underhanded dealings in the name of turnaround maintenance that never turned anything around but the personal fortunes of those involved. We believe this must not continue. We are however suspicious of the current moves being made by the government to sell off the refineries outright without giving full considerations to alternative options and without consultations with critical stakeholders. Selling off the refineries under the prevailing circumstances is indeed conducive for all sorts of criminal dealings, whereby national assets could be deliberately devalued and sold to cronies.

ADC therefore calls for a full and independent audit—financial, technical, and structural— before any sale is contemplated or privatisation is considered.

Successive APC administrations have poured over $18 billion into the so-called rehabilitation of Nigeria’s refineries. The current administration is reported to have spent another $2.8 billion under the same pretext. Yet there is no verifiable increase in refining capacity, no observable cost efficiency, and no fuel security benefit accruing to the Nigerian people. Instead, the same refineries have remained idle or dysfunctional, while the government continues to fund the importation of refined petroleum products.

Even Africa’s foremost industrialist, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, whose private refinery now stands as the only viable refining asset in the country, has publicly stated his doubts that these government-owned refineries can ever work again. And he is right to doubt. The infrastructure is obsolete, the operations are hollowed out, and the entire value-chain has become a black hole for public funds. So again, we must ask: what exactly is being sold, and why now?

The truth is that if the intention all along was to privatise the refineries, then the years of huge public spending is at best a waste, and at worst a scam.

Government cannot, in good conscience, expend public funds on assets under the guise of rehabilitation, only to turn around and offer them for sale—without accountability on the investments already made and without any public reckoning. In other climes, those responsible for such transactions would have faced judgments.

The ADC believes that before any conversation about privatisation can proceed, there must be a comprehensive forensic audit of all funds allocated to refinery rehabilitation from 2010 to date. There must also be a third-party technical assessment to determine the true status and potential of the assets in question.

The audit findings must be presented in full to the public through a legislative hearing, with civil society, energy economists, and anti-corruption agencies present. Until then, any attempt to sell these refineries must be considered not just illegitimate, but criminal.

This is not simply about public finance. It is about public trust. If this government truly believes in reform, then it must begin with the truth. And if it claims to be accountable, then it must submit itself to scrutiny. What we are witnessing is not a policy decision. It is a cover-up. And the ADC will not stand by while national assets are quietly auctioned to cronies and to mask years of systemic failure.

Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi
Interim National Publicity Secretary
African Democratic Congress (ADC)