Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has criticised the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited for what he described as a disrespectful invitation to tour the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.
Reacting through his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo stated that the oil company’s public invitation lacked decorum and failed to follow proper protocol.
“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,” Akinyemi said.
The invitation, announced by NNPCL spokesperson Olufemi Soneye, followed Obasanjo’s remarks in a recent interview where he criticised the mismanagement of Nigeria’s refineries. Obasanjo recounted attempts to privatise the facilities during his presidency, which were later overturned by his successor.
“When I was president, I wanted to do something about the three refineries we have: Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna. Aliko [Dangote] 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 further alleged that over $2 billion had been squandered on refineries since his tenure, with no significant results. “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 said.
Contrasting government inefficiency with private enterprise, Obasanjo expressed confidence in Dangote’s ability to manage his privately owned refinery effectively.
Meanwhile, the NNPCL spokesperson maintained that progress had been made in rehabilitating the refineries. “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,” Soneye stated.
Soneye also asserted that the corporation had undertaken a complete overhaul of the plants to bring them up to global standards.
Despite NNPCL’s claims, scepticism persists among Nigerians regarding the operational status of the Warri and Port Harcourt refineries. Obasanjo’s pointed criticism has reignited debates about the efficiency of government-led initiatives in the oil sector.
