Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited’s recent invitation as disrespectful.
NNPCL spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, extended an invitation to the former president to visit the refineries in Port Harcourt and Warri.
Following an interview on Channels Television on Thursday in which the former president recalled unsuccessful attempts to privatise the nation’s oil plants, the firm extended the offer.
Obasanjo voiced his displeasure with refinery mismanagement, pointing out that despite large investments since 2007, nothing had changed.
He clarified that Aliko Dangote, the chairman of the Dangote Group, offered Musa Yar’Adua $750 million to run the refineries in Port Harcourt and Kaduna, but Musa Yar’Adua turned down the offer.
Obasanjo claims that although the NNPCL knew it was not capable of running the country’s refineries, it told Yar’Adua that the company could, which resulted in Dangote’s offer being turned down.
He stated, “I wanted to take action regarding our three refineries—Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna—when I was president.” In response to my request for Shell to come and run it for us, Aliko assembled a team. They wouldn’t, Shell added. When I asked them to come and accept equity, they refused. “All right, don’t take equity, come and run it,” I pleaded, but they refused.
“To operate the refineries, Aliko assembled a team and paid $750 million to participate in a PPP (public-private partnership).” They got their money back, so I went to my successor and informed him what had happened. He claimed that NNPC had stated that they wanted the refinery and that they could operate it, and I replied, “But you know they cannot run it.”
But not very long ago, I was informed that over $2 billion had been wasted on the refineries, and they were still not functional, Obasanjo continued.
He made it clear that he would believe a firm like Shell if it turned down his offer to run the refineries for certain reasons.
In contrast to the inefficiencies of the government, the former president voiced confidence in Dangote’s capacity to run his privately held refinery efficiently.
NNPCL spokeswoman Femi Soneye responded by stating that the refineries were operating.
Soneye clarified that in addition to doing turnaround maintenance on the plants, the NNPCL had started a comprehensive renovation of the refineries to bring them up to par with international standards.
“The former president, Obasanjo, is cordially invited to visit the restored refineries and observe firsthand the advancements made under the new NNPC Limited, he stated.
Speaking to the media about the invitation, Obasanjo said it was disrespectful to his office and person to extend such an open invitation.
The former president claimed that until Thursday, January 2, 2024, the oil corporation had not extended an official invitation to him, speaking through his media assistant, Kehinde Akinyemi.
Is inviting a previous president of the nation in that manner appropriate? Is Baba even aware that the news and the statement have been seen? The former president’s office is completely disrespectful.
“Find out if the NNPCL has written to him as of January 2. Is he the recipient of an official letter asking him to visit the refinery?“
According to Obasanjo’s aide, “The former president cannot dignify such with a response; it is an absolute insult.”
