By Lateef Adegbite
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who had been an arch-critic of all past and even the present Nigerian Leader, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who incidentally was a one-time Senator of Federal Republic of Nigeria, and governor of Lagos state, is not happy man.
The for Nigerian President source of unhappiness was because the state-owned refineries located in the Niger Delta region oil cities of PortHarcourt and Warri including the north western state of Kaduna with a combined processing capacity of 445,00b/d, are poorly maintained and worsened by the prevalent corruption around their operations.
Barely 20 years after vacating office as a democratically elected President of Nigeria, the Ogun state born politician, who incidentally had ruled Nigeria as a military Head of State had given an insight to how the Leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, now baptized Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, with the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, that had been signed Law by Muhammadu Buhari, the immediate past Nigeran President had failed Nigeria in managing the affairs of the refineries.
Appearing on Channels Television recently and going down the memory lane he former Nigerian President had said that as the then ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Leader, he had made efforts to seek external help for the rehabilitation of the country’s refineries because of the continued financial loses under government management.
He had alluded to the fact his Administration which was determined to revive the ailing refineries, had invited Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, a Multi-nation oil Company in the country’s upstream sector , which had built a 60,00b/d refinery in PortHarcourt in the ‘60s, and taken over by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, now baptized Nigerian National Petroleum Company, to come and take equity shares in the running of the refineries but turned it down.
The refusal of the British oil company to buy shares into the state owned refineries may have informed why the Obasanjo’s Administration which was determined to privatize the oil processing facilities in Nigeria to give the oil producing company another opportunity to reconsider their decision to come and run the refineries but the company still turned it down on grounds that the country’s refineries are too small, processing between 60,000 b/d, 100,000b/d, andN150,000b/d whereas as at that time the average refinery in Europe , United Kingdom, UK and the US, including the Asian countries of China, India, Japan, Hongkong and South Korea, was going for 250,000b/d and well managed .
The refusal of SPDC, to take up the offer given to it to run the refineries may may have informed why the former Nigerian President had reached out to Aliko Dangote, the Kano state born multi-billionaire business mogul, and President Dangote Industries, who was said to have assembled a team to do so.
The Dangote organized team, with a very strong financial base were said to have demanded to take over the operation and management of the ailing 210 ,000b/d, old /new PortHarcourt refineries and the Kaduna refinery at no additional cost to the government.

The Dangote team according to the former Nigerian President, who believes that he has nothing to hide but to open up now had said that the company had paid the sum of the US, $750 million to the Nigerian Government to take part in the ,Public -Private Partnership, PPP, biddings to operate the refineries.
The Dangote team, may have won the biddings to take over the running of the PortHarcourt and Kaduna refineries but was denied. The ex- President Obasanjo who appears to have been watching the upfolding drama from the privatization of the state- owned refineries exercise was said to have reached out to the then President Umaru Yar’Adua, his successor, now deceased, in 2007, to lodge his complaints over the refund of the $750m to the Dangote team, on the advice of the NNPC Management team, who believes that they have all t thenhat it takes to run the refineries. Former President Obasanjo, who could not hide his feelings had said that if a company like SPDC, could say so, he will believe and work with them, not NNPCL, that has nothing to offer.

Angered by the action of the Nigerian President to refund the $750 million back to the Dangote Assemble team may have encouragedthe Octogenarian to reach out to his successor, ex-President Yar’Adua, to give him an insider information of what had transpired in the bidding process and which was said to have produced the Dangote team as the preferred bidder to operate and manage the refineries but still opposed by NNPCL officials.
Given the inability of the NNPCL Authorities to the state refineries back to life despite the huge amount that had been spent in its TAM, over the last 10 years may have encouraged the Senate to have constituted an ad-hoc Committee in May, 2023, to investigate how the NNPCL, had spent over N11.35 trillion on the TAM, of the four state owned refineries in the last 13 years, with nothing to show for it but that was how far the Lawmakers could go.
The former Nigerian Leader who was said to have had absolute confidence on the Dangote assembled team to run the state-owned refineries, had sounded it loud and clear that the NNPCL, had failed to effectively operate the refineries. He had asserted that the same Dangote they had vilified over the years in clollaboration with the Leadership of NDMRC, are now working with him because they know that he will put in his best to ensure that his $20 billion refinery with a processing capacity of 650,000b/d, ‘’ located in the Lekki Free Trade Zone, LFTZ, of Lagos, the nation’s Commercial nerve centre will work, not only make it work but will deliver’’.
Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, the Bayelsa state born politician and minister of state, petroleum Resources, Oil, had revealed that us $25 billion had been spent over the last 10 years in the TAM of the refineries but it remains the same old story: working in bits and fits.
Much of the expenditure was said to have been made by the Buhari’s Administration who was said to have been awarded the multi-million dollar, US, Contracts for the ongoing TAM, of the refineries, which were producing less than 30% of its installed capacity that had been inherited by the Tinubu’s Government but currently at different stages of Completion. Maire Technipoint SPA, an Italian firm which had won the contract that had constructed the new 150,000b/d new PortHarcourt refinery was said to have bee re-awarded the $1.5 billion contract for the TAM, of both the old 60,00b/d and the broken down new refinery that had been working in bits and fits over the years.
Kolo Mele Kyari, the Borno state born Technocrat and Group Managing Director of NNPCL, would not agree that the money that had been spent on the rehabilitation of the broken-down refineries over the years was a waste.
The NNPCL, GMD, GMD, who many believes is acting out a script of the Presidency would not take it from critics like former President Obasanjo and others like him that much have been achieved since the contractors handling the TAM , of the existing four ailing refineries in the country mobilized on site within the period the deal was signed.

Given the good job the Contractors had done in the refineries, which the NNPCL, GMD, had said went beyond rehabilitation to complete overhaul of the plants may have informed why Kyari led Management had invited the former Nigerian President to tour the Port Harcourt refinery to verify the operational status of the oil processing facility which came on stream recently in PortHarcourt, Capital of Rivers.
The former Nigerian Leader who believes that NNPCL, can never deliver on its mandate to revive the refineries had repeatedly questioned the operational capacity of the PortHarcourt refinery, describing as a mere fabrication NNPC’s claims.
Olufemi Soneye, the Company’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, CCO, who had said that the company did not only carry out turn around maintenance of the processing plants but had embarked on a complete overhaul of the refineries designed to meet world class standards.
He was emphatic that the state- owned refineries have been enhanced and maintained by the Contracting firms to global standards for sustainable operation’’. Perhaps to prove tat the company had done well in the overhaul of the state- owned refineries to sustain their production level may have given the Kyaril led NNPCL Management to extend an invitation to former President and penchant critic of the Organisation andTinubu’s Administration to join the Management team on the tour of the refinery , because his ‘’wisdom and experience are invaluable’’.
The NNPCL, CCO, may have spoken the mind of the GMD, had said that that they will appreciate his insights and guidance on the projects which will always be welcome and cherished because of his enduring contributions to Nigeria’s development and commitment to building a brighter and prosperous future for the nation.
Kyari, the NNPCL, GMD,, who had had said the company could undertake a complete overhaul of the refineries instead of the initial arrangement earlier agreed with the contractors to redefine energy security for Nigeria while repositioning the company as a leader on the global energy state because of the transformative policies that had been embarked upon on the country’s energy sector by President Tinubu over the last one year in office.