Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited’s (NNPCL) recent public invitation for him to tour the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries as “disrespectful.”
Reacting through his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo expressed displeasure with the manner in which the invitation was issued. He stated that as of Thursday, January 2, 2024, no formal letter or direct communication had been sent to him by the NNPCL.
“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,” Akinyemi said.
The aide further emphasized that the former president would not dignify such an open and informal invitation with a response, calling it an insult to his office and person.
“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,” Akinyemi added.
The NNPCL, through its spokesperson Olufemi Soneye, had earlier extended an invitation to Obasanjo to tour the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries. This came after the former president publicly criticized the state of Nigeria’s refineries during an interview on Channels Television.
In the interview, Obasanjo recounted failed efforts to privatize the country’s oil plants during his tenure, expressing frustration over the mismanagement of refineries. He highlighted that despite significant expenditure since 2007, there had been little to no improvement in refining capacity.
Obasanjo also mentioned that his successor, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, had rejected a $750 million offer from business magnate Aliko Dangote to manage the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries.
