Obasanjo made the statement during an interview with the Financial Times.The elder statesman’s stance comes following ongoing #Endbadgovernance nationwide protests by the youths over hunger and hardship in the country.Youths across the country have embarked on protests since August 1, a development which has since escalated with reports and incidences of violence and lootings recorded across the country.
Speaking further, Obasanjo said Nigeria’s economy would have been much better if it had not relied on just crude oil production. He described the country’s reliance on crude oil as a “deadly mistake”.the failure of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited ,NNPCL, the International Oil Companies, and other national oil companies to ramp up oil production to meet the country’s needs.
Obasanjo said Nigeria could have invested more in Agriculture as against crude oil.The former president then touched on the reason that Nigeria’s four refineries have remained moribund despite huge investments and attempts at revamping them.He recalled how he persuaded Shell to run the country’s refineries but the International Oil Company refused, saying there was too much corruption in the sector. He condemned the government’s disposition towards getting the refineries back on their feet.He said that those benefiting from the lucrative business of fuel importation are going to make efforts to frustrate the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.Obasanjo stated this in the wake of allegations by the President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, that some ‘mafias’ were making efforts to frustrate the $20bn refinery.