Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo said cabals benefiting from Nigeria importing finished petroleum products are bent on frustrating the $20 billion Dangote Refinery out of business.
Obasanjo, who made this revelation in a Financial Times interview, 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.” Obasanjo.
Obasanjo revealed that when he was in power, he wanted Shell to run the moribund Nigerian refineries, but the oil and gas giants turned down the offer.
“When I was President, 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,” he stated.
On the promises that the refineries will be fixed, he asked, “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.”
Not Yet...Tinubu and Obasanjo