Photo Credit: The Punch
2025-12-26 06:40:00
According to *PUNCH*, petroleum retail outlet owners are renewing pressure on the Federal Government to privatise Nigeria’s state-owned refineries, arguing that repeated public-funded rehabilitation has not produced stable output and has left the country reliant on imports.
The association’s argument is framed around competition, efficiency, and investment: private capital and technical expertise, it says, could make refining assets commercially viable and reduce fiscal drain.
If implemented, the policy shift could reshape downstream dynamics—product supply stability, pricing logistics, and FX demand—though labour, asset valuation, and governance terms would be fiercely contested.
Energy-sector analysts will watch whether government moves from “rehabilitation” language to clear transaction milestones, and how any privatisation aligns with local content and security realities.
*The Guardian* reported that PETROAN “renewed its call for the privatisation of Nigeria’s four state-owned refineries,” while *SweetCrudeReports* added that “timely privatisation would eliminate recurring fiscal burdens” and attract capital and expertise.
Echotitbits take: This is the downstream debate Nigeria keeps postponing. The make-or-break factor is credibility: transparent bidding, clear performance obligations, and a governance framework that prevents a new cycle of capture and underperformance.
Source: Punch — Dec 26, 2025 (https://punchng.com/petroan-pushes-nnpc-refineries-privatisation-by-q1-2026/)
Photo credit/source: The Punch
The Punch 2025-12-26
