Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has criticized the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) over what he described as a disrespectful approach to inviting him for a tour of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries. Obasanjo, through his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, said the open invitation lacked the decorum befitting a former president.
According to Obasanjo, as of January 2, 2024, the oil corporation had not sent any formal invitation or official letter to his office. “Is that the appropriate way to invite a former president of this country? Who says Baba has even seen the statement or read the news? This is total disrespect for the office of a former president,” Akinyemi stated.
He emphasized that Obasanjo would not dignify such an informal approach with a response, noting that the NNPCL should clarify whether they had officially communicated the invitation to the former president.
Meanwhile, news of the reopening of the Warri refinery has been met with skepticism from Nigerians. The NNPCL had announced the invitation through its spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, following Obasanjo’s comments during a Channels Television interview.
In the interview, Obasanjo recounted previous failed attempts to privatize and manage Nigeria’s oil refineries.
Obasanjo expressed frustration with the continuous mismanagement of the refineries, noting that despite billions of dollars spent since 2007, there has been no significant improvement.
He recalled that his administration had sought to involve private sector players, including Aliko Dangote, Chairman of the Dangote Group, who offered $750 million to manage the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries. However, this plan was abandoned by his successor, the late President Musa Yar’Adua, who insisted that the NNPC could handle the refineries.
“I wanted to privatize the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries. Aliko assembled a team and offered $750 million for a public-private partnership to manage the refineries. After my tenure, my successor refunded the money, saying the NNPC could run the refineries. But we all know they cannot,” Obasanjo said.
Obasanjo disclosed that since the rejection of Dangote’s offer, over $2 billion has been spent on the refineries without yielding any results. He questioned why a reputable company like Shell declined his offer to manage the refineries, citing valid concerns, and contrasted this with the government’s inefficiency.
He also expressed confidence in Dangote’s ability to manage his privately owned refinery effectively, drawing a sharp comparison to the failure of government-operated refineries.
In response, NNPCL spokesperson Femi Soneye maintained that the refineries were now operational. He stated that the corporation had carried out a complete overhaul and upgraded the facilities to meet world-class standards.
“We extend an open invitation to former President Obasanjo to tour the rehabilitated refineries and witness firsthand the progress made under the new NNPC Limited,” Soneye said.
Despite the corporation’s claims, the debate continues as Nigerians await tangible evidence of the refineries’ functionality and efficiency under the NNPCL’s management.
