January 4, 2025
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has described as disrespectful, the invitation by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL, to come take a tour of both Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.
In a response to the disrespect through his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo said the oil company had not sent any formal invitation to him as of Thursday, January 2, 2024.
According to the 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.”
Aside the comments of Obasanjo on the refineries, the news of the reopening of the Warri refinery for production had been met with skepticism amongst most Nigerians.
The NNPCL had, through its spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, invited the former president for a tour of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries following an interview on Channels Television on Thursday, wherein ex-president Obasanjo, recounted failed efforts to privatise oil plants in the country.
Obasanjo had expressed frustration when he sought Shell to run the refineries but declined due to what it called mismanagement of refineries, noting that despite Hugh resources spent since 2007, there were no results.
He further 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.
Obasanjo, stated that 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.
“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.
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“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 stressed that if a company like Shell rejected 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, noting that the NNPCL is doing complete overhaul of the refineries to meet world-class standards and not the usual turnaround maintenance.
Soneye, added “We extend an open invitation to former President Obasanjo for a tour of the rehabilitated refineries to witness firsthand the progress made.
