Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for the immediate suspension and public scrutiny of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s proposed partnership with two Chinese firms for the rehabilitation and operation of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.
The deal, signed between NNPC Ltd and Chinese firms Sanjiang Chemical Company Limited and Xingcheng (Fuzhou) Industrial Park Operation and Management Co. Ltd., is aimed at completing ongoing rehabilitation works and supporting the operation and expansion of the facilities.
Reacting to the development in a statement issued through his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the agreement as “another dangerous gamble” with Nigeria’s economic future.
He said: “We are demanding an immediate suspension and public scrutiny” of the partnership involving the Chinese firms.
The former presidential candidate also questioned the competence and technical credibility of the companies selected for the project.
“It is both shocking and insulting that after wasting over $2.5 billion on endless refinery rehabilitation scandals, the NNPC is once again asking Nigerians to trust another experiment built on secrecy and questionable competence.”
Atiku argued that there is no publicly available evidence showing that Sanjiang Chemical has ever managed a full-scale crude oil refinery comparable to the Port Harcourt or Warri refineries.
“There is no publicly available evidence anywhere in the world showing that Sanjiang has ever built, operated, or managed a full-scale crude oil refinery of the magnitude and complexity of Port Harcourt or Warri refineries.”
He further criticised the second Chinese company involved in the deal, claiming available industry records do not show proven experience in refinery engineering or petroleum operations.
“By every available corporate and industry record, Xingcheng is essentially an industrial park and infrastructure management company.”
The former Vice President warned that Nigeria risks repeating past refinery failures if transparency and technical due diligence are ignored.
He also called for the full publication of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the parties, alongside a legislative probe into previous refinery rehabilitation spending.