Public affairs analyst and transparency advocate, Oghenetega Edafe, has criticised the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) over its recent partnership with Chinese firms aimed at restarting the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.
The deal, sealed through a Memorandum of Understanding, had raised hopes that Nigeria’s long-dormant refineries could finally resume production and potentially ease fuel prices if successfully implemented.
While the agreement has been welcomed in some quarters of the downstream petroleum sector, Edafe warned that it reflects a repeated cycle of promises without accountability.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, he argued that the development raises serious concerns about fiscal responsibility and transparency in the management of Nigeria’s oil assets.
According to him, the country has already spent over $1 billion on refinery rehabilitation in the past two decades with little to show for it.
“What Nigerians are witnessing is a troubling pattern of policy repetition without reflection,” Edafe said. “These same refineries have absorbed enormous public funds over the years, yet there has been no transparent accounting of what was spent or why those efforts failed.”
He questioned why another major agreement is being entered into without a clear audit of previous rehabilitation projects.
“It is unacceptable that after committing over one billion dollars to refinery rehabilitation, the nation is being asked to embrace yet another agreement without a verifiable account of earlier interventions,” he said.
Edafe further warned that the situation reflects deeper governance and accountability issues in the management of public resources.
“This is not just about policy failure. It raises serious concerns about how national wealth is managed and whether lessons are ever learned from past decisions,” he added.
The analyst urged authorities to prioritize transparency and provide Nigerians with clear information on past investments before committing to new arrangements.
