- Obasanjo had voiced his frustration over the mismanagement of refineries, noting that there was nothing to show for the enormous expenditure expended on them since 2007
The invitation the National Petroleum Corporation Limited extended to former President Olusegun Obasanjo to tour the refineries that have purportedly been revived has been met with scorn and disdain.
Recall that the NNPCL had, through its spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, invited the former president for a tour of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.
However, Obasanjo expressed revulsion at the invitation, calling it disrespectful.
The corporation’s invitation was prompted by an interview on Channels Television on Thursday, during which the ex-president worked tirelessly to revive the oil plants in the country through privatisation but his efforts were thwarted.
Obasanjo had voiced his frustration over the mismanagement of refineries, noting that there was nothing to show for the enormous expenditure expended on them since 2007.
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 incapacity 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.
He stressed that if a company like Shell declined his offer to manage the refineries based on their reasons, he would believe the company.
In response, the NNPCL spokesperson Femi Soneye insisted that the refineries were working.
Soneye explained that the NNPCL had not only carried out turnaround maintenance on the plants but also embarked on a complete overhaul of the refineries to meet 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.”
Reacting to the invitation in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, Obasanjo said such an open invitation was disrespectful to his office and person.
The former president, while speaking through his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, stated that the oil company had not sent any formal invitation to him as of Thursday, January 2, 2024.
“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.
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