From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has criticized the recent invitation issued to him by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), labeling it as disrespectful.
NNPCL, Spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye via a statement, had invited the former president to tour the refineries in Port Harcourt and Warri, after an interview on Channels Television where Obasanjo discussed unsuccessful attempts to privatize the country’s oil facilities.
Obasanjo voiced concerns ver the ongoing mismanagement of the refineries, pointing out that despite substantial investments since 2007, no significant progress has been made.
He mentioned that his successor, Musa Yar’Adua, had turned down a $750 million proposal from Aliko Dangote, Chairman of the Dangote Group, to manage the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries.
According to Obasanjo, the NNPCL acknowledged its inability to manage the refineries but assured Yar’Adua that they could handle operations, which led to the dismissal of Dangote’s proposal.
According to him,, “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
Obasanjo continued, “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.’” He 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 expressed trust in Dangote’s capability to effectively manage his privately owned refinery, contrasting it with the government’s inefficiency. In response, NNPCL spokesperson Femi Soneye asserted that the refineries were operational, explaining that the NNPCL had performed turnaround maintenance and undertaken a complete overhaul to meet global standards. He stated, “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 described the open invitation as disrespectful to both his office and himself. Through his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, he remarked that the oil company had not sent him any formal invitation as of Thursday, January 2, 2025. “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 a response,” Obasanjo’s aide stated.