Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has criticized the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) for its recent invitation to him to tour the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, calling it disrespectful.
Obasanjo stated that as of Thursday, January 2, 2024, he had not received any formal invitation from the oil company.
“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,” Obasanjo’s aide stated.
However, the news of the reopening of the Warri refinery for production had been met with skepticism from Nigerians.
It would be recalled that the NNPCL had, through its spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, invited the former president for a tour of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.
The corporation’s invitation followed an interview on Channels Television on Thursday, during which the ex-president recounted failed efforts to privatise oil plants in the country.
Obasanjo expressed frustration over the mismanagement of refineries, noting that despite significant expenditure since 2007, no results had been achieved.
He explained that his successor, Musa Yar’Adua, rejected a $750m 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 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.”
He emphasized that if a company like Shell declined his proposal to manage the refineries, citing their own reasons, he would trust their judgment.
The former president expressed confidence in Dangote’s capability to efficiently manage his privately owned refinery, contrasting it with the government’s record of inefficiency.
In response, NNPCL spokesperson Femi Soneye maintained that the refineries were operational. He explained that the NNPCL had not only conducted turnaround maintenance but also undertaken a comprehensive overhaul of the refineries to bring them up to world-class standards.
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.”
