ADC Accuses FG of Grand Scam, Demands Audit Before Refinery Sale
TEC News | Abuja | July 17, 2025
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has launched a blistering attack on the Federal Government’s plan to privatize Nigeria’s long-dormant refineries, demanding an immediate and independent forensic audit of over $18 billion reportedly spent on their rehabilitation over the past decade.
In a statement signed by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC raised alarm over what it described as “a coordinated cover-up masquerading as a policy decision,” warning that any attempt to sell off the refineries without public accountability would be nothing short of “a criminal act.”
The ADC’s reaction follows recent confirmations by the Tinubu administration and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) of ongoing plans to fully privatize Nigeria’s state-owned refineries—Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna. This, despite earlier claims by government officials that the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries had resumed partial operations after fresh investments.
“What exactly is being sold—scrap or sovereign assets?” the statement demanded. “If the intention all along was to privatize the refineries, then the years of huge public spending is at best a waste, and at worst a scam.”
The party described as “deeply suspicious” the timing and manner of the planned sale, especially coming after the current administration allegedly committed an additional $2.8 billion to refinery rehabilitation, with no verifiable improvement in refining capacity, fuel security, or cost efficiency.
The ADC likened the endless turnaround maintenance projects to “a black hole for public funds,” accusing successive governments—especially under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)—of using the refineries as conduits for looting public resources.
“We must not continue with this culture of pouring billions into hollow operations and then pretending to be surprised when nothing works. If the refineries are to be sold, the Nigerian people must first be told what became of the billions spent in their name,” the statement emphasized.
Referencing Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote—whose private refinery is now Nigeria’s only functional refining facility—the ADC noted even he had publicly doubted the viability of the government-owned refineries, describing them as obsolete and structurally hollowed out.
To prevent what it described as a “fire sale to cronies,” the ADC issued a list of demands:
- A comprehensive forensic audit (financial, technical, and structural) of all funds allocated to refinery rehabilitation from 2010 to date.
- A third-party technical assessment of the true state of the refineries.
- Legislative hearings open to the public, civil society, anti-corruption agencies, and independent energy experts.
“Until these conditions are met, any attempt to sell the refineries must be considered not just illegitimate, but criminal,” the ADC warned.
Describing the situation as one that has grave implications for public trust, the party challenged the Tinubu administration to embrace transparency, asserting that reform cannot be credible without reckoning.
“This is not simply about public finance. It is about public trust. 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 mask years of systemic failure,” the statement concluded.
As Nigerians grapple with rising fuel prices, dwindling public trust, and economic hardship, the ADC’s bold intervention may have stirred what could become one of the defining political debates of the Tinubu era.
