Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has slammed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) for inviting him to tour the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, describing the invitation as “disrespectful”.
The invitation came after Obasanjo expressed frustration over the mismanagement of refineries, stating that despite significant expenditure since 2007, no results had been achieved.
Obasanjo recounted how his successor, Musa Yar’Adua, rejected a $750 million offer from Aliko Dangote to manage the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries. He claimed 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.
NNPC invites Obasanjo to visit refineries
The Punch reported that the NNPCL spokesperson, Femi Soneye, insisted that the refineries were working and invited Obasanjo to witness the progress made under the new NNPC Limited. However, Obasanjo’s media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, stated that the oil company had not formally invited the former president and that the open invitation was “a total disrespect for the office of the former president.”
Some groups, including the Yoruba socio-political group Afenifere, have backed Obasanjo’s criticism of the NNPCL’s management of refineries. The group’s Secretary-General, Chief Sola Ebiseni, described the NNPCL’s invitation as “disrespectful” and “arrogant”.
The controversy surrounding the refineries’ management and the NNPCL’s invitation to Obasanjo highlights the ongoing challenges in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector. The sector has been plagued by corruption, mismanagement, and inefficiency, which have hindered the country’s economic growth and development.
Peter Obi called Obasanjo the father figure
Legit.ng earlier reported that Peter Obi of the Labour Party has visited former President Olusegun Obasanjo and ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.
The former governor of Anambra state noted that he was with the two former presidents to wish them a happy new year and discuss national issues with them.
Obi then went further to describe former President Olusegun Obasanjo as a father figure and Jonathan as his elder brother.
