Obasanjo Accuses NNPCL of Disrespecting Him, Gives Reason

• Olusegun Obasanjo, the former Nigerian president, has said that the NNPC Limited disrespected him by sending him an open invitation to the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries
• Femi Soneye, the NNPC's spokesperson, sent the open invitation to the former president during a television interview last week
• Before Soneye's interview, Obasanjo had lamented how the NNPC stopped his administration from privatising the corporation

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 also recalled that his successor, Shehu Musa Yar'Adua, turned down $750 million Aliko Dangote's offer to manage the Kaduna and Port Harcourt refineries.

The former president alleged that the NNPC was aware of its difficulties in managing the refineries but told Yar'Adua that the corporation would manage the assets, making his successor reject Dangote's offer, The Punch reported.

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NNPC invites Obasanjo to visit refineries

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

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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.

Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng