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.
