By Austin Ogwuda
FORMER Nigeria’s President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has explained why those benefiting from fuel importation are deliberately putting wedge to frustrate Alhaji Aliko Dangote and his 20 Billion Dollar Refinery.
As at Monday this week the multi-billion dollar Dangote Refinery and other domestic refineries were yet to purchase crude oil in Naira based on President Bola Tinubu’s directive to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to ensure compliance.
Speaking in an interview with Financial Times, former President Obasanjo, popularly known as OBJ said, ” Aliko’s investment in a refinery, if it goes well should encourage both Nigerians and non-Nigerians to invest in Nigeria.
“If those who are selling or supplying refined products for Nigeria feel that they will lose the lucrative opportunity they will also make every effort to get him frustrated.
“I believe we made a very, very deadly mistake. We put all our eggs in one basket of oil. We even ignored gas. We were flaring gas, which is a very important commodity
“We ignored agriculture, which should have been the centrepiece of our economic development,” Obasanjo stated.
“When I was President”, he went on, “I invited Shell and I said, look, come and take equity participation and run our refineries for us. They refused. They said our refineries have not been well maintained.
“We have brought amateurs rather than bringing professionals. They said there’s too much corruption with the way our refinery is run and maintained. And they didn’t want to get involved in such a mess.
On the promises that our Refineries will be fixed, OBJ retorted, “How many times have they told us that and at what price?
“Those problems, as far as the government refineries are concerned, have never gone away. They have even increased. So if you have a problem like that and that problem is not removed then you aren’t going anywhere”.
He faulted he former President the bizzare style adopted by President Bola Tinubu to remove fuel subsidies, saying that “there’s a lot of work that needs to be done. Not just wake up one morning and say you removed the subsidy. Because of inflation, the subsidy that we have removed is not gone. It has come back”, Obasanjo insisted.
Recall that officials of the Dangote Group recently raised alarm that International oil companies were frustrating the refinery by refusing to sell crude or by selling to them at a premium up to $4 above the normal price.
Dangote officials also accused the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) of deliberately granting licences to individuals to import dirty fuel.
Source: PUNCH
