Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed strong disapproval over an open invitation extended by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to tour the newly revived Port Harcourt and Warri Refineries. According to Obasanjo, the manner of the invitation was disrespectful.
The former president’s spokesperson, Kehinde Akinyemi, conveyed Obasanjo’s sentiments on Friday, revealing that the NNPCL had invited the ex-president to inspect the revamped facilities. This invitation came after Obasanjo accused the state-owned oil company of turning down Aliko Dangote’s $750 million offer to manage the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries.
Obasanjo criticized the NNPCL for rejecting Dangote’s proposal, especially given the company’s inability to properly manage the refineries on its own. In response to the NNPCL’s invitation to visit the updated Port Harcourt and Warri Refineries, Obasanjo declared the invite was disrespectful to his office as a former president of Nigeria due to its informal nature.
He queried whether it was appropriate to extend such an invitation without a formal letter. “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 further questioned if the NNPCL had officially written to Obasanjo by January 2, inviting him to tour the refinery. “It is an absolute insult, and the former president cannot dignify such with a response,” he added.
As of the time of reporting, Olufemi Soneye, the spokesperson of NNPCL, had not responded to Obasanjo’s latest remarks.