Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed his disappointment with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) over its recent invitation for him to tour the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.
Obasanjo described the invitation as “disrespectful” and emphasized that it was not the proper way to engage a former president.
The NNPCL’s invitation was in response to Obasanjo’s recent interview on Channels Television, where he discussed his failed efforts to privatize the nation’s refineries during his presidency.
Obasanjo had expressed his frustration over the mismanagement of the refineries, stating that despite significant expenditure since 2007, no results had been achieved.
Obasanjo revealed that his successor, Musa Yar’Adua, had rejected a $750 million offer from the Chairman of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, to manage the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries. According to Obasanjo, the NNPCL was aware of its limitations in managing the nation’s refineries but had informed Yar’Adua that the corporation could operate them, leading to the rejection of Dangote’s offer.
He said, “When I was president, I wanted to do something about the three refineries we have: Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna. Aliko got a team together after I asked Shell to come and run it for us. And Shell said they wouldn’t. I said, ‘Please come and take equity’, they said no. I said, ‘Okay, don’t take equity, come and run it’, they said no.
“Aliko got a team together and they paid $750m to take part in PPP (Public–Private Partnership) in running the refineries. My successor refunded their money, and I went to my successor; I told him what transpired; he said NNPC said they wanted the refinery and they could run it, and I said, ‘But you know they cannot run it.”
Obasanjo added, “But I was told not too long ago that since that time, more than $2bn had been squandered on the refineries, and they still would not work.”
The former president expressed confidence in Dangote’s ability to manage his privately owned refinery effectively, contrasting it with the government’s inefficiency.
Reacting, the spokesperson of the NNPCL, Olufemi Soneye, insisted that the refineries were working and that the corporation had carried out turnaround maintenance on the plants.
He invited Obasanjo to a tour of the facilities.
He said, “We extend an open invitation to former President Obasanjo for a tour of the rehabilitated refineries to witness firsthand the progress made under the new NNPC Limited.”
However, Obasanjo’s media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, stated that the NNPCL’s invitation was an “absolute insult” and that the former president could not dignify it with a response.
“Is that the right way to invite a former president of the country? Who says Baba has even seen the statement or read the news? It is a total disrespect for the office of the former president.
“Ask the NNPCL that as of January 2, have they written to him? Is there any official letter addressed to him, inviting him to the refinery? It is an absolute insult, and the former president cannot dignify such with a response,” the aide stated.
The NNPCL’s announcement that the Port Harcourt refinery had commenced crude oil processing on November 26 was met with excitement and doubts. Recently, the company announced on December 31 that the Warri Refining & Petrochemical Company in Delta State had commenced operations.
