As the controversies over the state of the nation’s crude oil refineries persist, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL has invited former President Olusegun Obasanjo to the refineries.
There are four refineries in the country including the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries. They have been in a state of comatose for years despite all the resources expended on them.
The NNPC had recently disclosed that three of the four refineries in Port Harcourt and Warri have been revamped, and back to operations even as it promised to bring the Kaduna refinery back to life.
Obasanjo had few days ago ‘mockingly’ hinted that the refineries ‘can’t’ work citing past efforts by former administrations in the country to bring them back to operations were frustrated by the NNPCL.
The refineries “will not work as long as the government is keeping hold of them” and due to the endemic corruption in the system, Obasanjo said.
For instance, the former Nigerian leader claimed that Shell, an international oil company, IOC, had rejected the offer to manage the refineries citing endemic corruption among its officials, while plan by Africa’s Richest Man, Aliko Dangote to take over the refineries were botched by the oil corporation.
NNPCL frustrated the $750 million bid by Dangote to run the oil refineries, the former president said.
Meanwhile, NNPCL has mildly rebuffed Obasanjo’s claim that the refineries have yet to be revamped.
The company in a statement signed by its Chief Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye on Friday invited Obasanjo to ascertain the true state of the refineries by visiting the facilities.
Soneye said there is no going back on the efforts by the NNPCL to provide the country with energy stability, adding that the huge resources expended on the refineries have paid of, calling on Obasanjo to work the company to in its determination to achieve energy security for the country.
The statement read in part: “We invite our esteemed former president to join us in this effort as we continue to deliver energy security for our nation and provide tangible benefits to Nigerians.
“His wisdom and experience are invaluable, and we assure him that his advice will always be welcomed and appreciated.
“Furthermore, we extend an open invitation to President Obasanjo for a tour of the rehabilitated refineries to witness firsthand the progress made under the new NNPC Limited.
“As part of this transformation, NNPC Limited has gone beyond oil and gas to become an integrated energy company. One of our notable achievements is the complete rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) and Warri Refinery.
“We welcome President Obasanjo to witness the transformation of the Port Harcourt Refinery. This is not a mere Turnaround Maintenance, but a comprehensive overhaul aligned with global standards.
“The revitalisation of refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna underscores the company’s commitment to Nigeria’s energy security,” Soneye said.
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