In a meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu provided a reassuring update to Nigerians, stating that the Port Harcourt refinery will commence operations by December this year.
The information was disclosed in a statement signed by the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, and his Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart, Festus Osifo, shortly after the meeting with the president.
During the closed-door session, President Tinubu lauded Nigerians for their overwhelming support during the nationwide protest against the removal of fuel subsidies by the government.
The protest brought several pressing issues to the forefront and prompted fruitful engagements between the government and the organised labour.
One of the primary concerns addressed during the meeting was the issue of the Port Harcourt refinery.
President Tinubu expressed certainty that the refinery would commence production by December this year.
The development comes after Former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration had approved $1.5 billion for the rehabilitation of the refinery in three phases in August of last year.
“It is pertinent to inform Nigerians that the extent of the success of the protest is underlined by the request of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu to meet with the leadership of the NLC and TUC in a closed-door session,” the statement reads.
“The engagement was fruitful that immense mileage was obtained with regards to the issues that bogged down the work of the Presidential Committee on Subsidy removal and necessitated the protest viz; He committed to an immediate restructuring of the framework for engagement in line with the input of the labour leaders.
“He let out a certainty that the Port Harcourt Refinery will commence production by December this year. He pledged to ensure that agreement is reached on the wage award for Nigerian workers immediately.
“He promised to unveil a workable roadmap to the CNG alternative next week. On the strength of the president’s pledge and commitment, we have decided to return to a new and reinvigorated dialogue process to allow for full implementation.
“Once again, we thank Nigerians while we wait for the government to fulfill its own part of the understanding as agreed with His Excellency; the President.”
