Obasanjo Castigates NNPC Ltd Over Public Invitation To Tour Refinery

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed strong disapproval over the manner in which the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPC Ltd) extended an invitation to him for a tour of the Port Harcourt’s Refinery.

Chief Obasanjo specifically described the invitation as disdainful, and inappropriate, stressing that no formal communication was sent to him as of January 2, 2024.

The NNPC Ltd had extended an invitation to former President Obasanjo following his remarks and criticisms of the mismanagement of the nation’s refineries and particularly expressed concerns over failure of past privatization initiatives during his administration.

A statement by Kehinde Akinyemi, media aide to former president Obasanjo, condemned in very strong terms, the public approach, stressing that it showed a lack of respect for the office of the former president.

The statement said; “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 total disrespect for the office of the former president.

“Ask the NNPCL — have they sent him any official letter inviting him to the refinery? It is an absolute insult, and the former president cannot dignify such with a response,” it stressed.

Former President Obasanjo’s concerns arose from the unresolved issues with regards to the management of the refinery during his administration thus, noted how a $750 million proposal from billionaire Aliko Dangote to take over operations of the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries was blocked by his successor, the late President Musa Yar’Adua. Obasanjo noted that the decision was influenced by NNPC’s assurance that it could handle refinery operations internally, adding that in spite of the billions of dollars reportedly spent on rehabilitation efforts—exceeding $2 billion, the refineries remain largely dysfunctional.

The NNPC Ltd on the hand, insisted that progress has been made, saying that the ongoing rehabilitation work at the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries were real.

However, the NNPC Ltd’s public invitation to former president Obasanjo, has drawn criticisms from observers, who stressed that the informal nature of the announcement of the invitation seriously undermines the status and dignity of a former president who was also minister of petroleum.