The Director General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Segun Ajayi-Kadiri, has urged the Federal Government to relinquish control of the country’s state-owned refineries, specifically those in Warri and Port Harcourt by either selling or privatizing them.
He made this suggestion while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today on the 1st of July, 2025. During the programme, Ajayi-Kadiri said the refineries have become a major liability to the nation.
“If you ask me, the government should just sell these refineries. Give them to private sector people who will run them efficiently and be able to deliver. When something belongs to everybody, it belongs to nobody,” he said.
Ajayi-Kadiri argued that these facilities have failed to deliver value under government management and should be handed over to private operators for better performance and results.
While the federal government began steps in 2024 to revive its four state-run refineries achieving partial restoration at the old Port Harcourt and Warri plants work is still ongoing at the second Port Harcourt unit and the Kaduna facility.
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Ajayi-Kadiri criticized the prolonged state ownership of these refineries, insisting it has only deepened economic inefficiency and neglected the capacity of Nigeria’s business community.
“Those four refineries are a pure drain on the Nigerian economy, and it is not fair to the Nigerian people.
We should have a situation where we are able to speak truth to ourselves and encourage private sector investment,” he added.