The Nasarawa state government has denied insinuations making the rounds that governor Abdullahi Sule has blamed former President Muhammadu Bahari for the inability of the nation’s refineries to function effectively.      A statement issued in Lafia and signed by Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Malam Ibrahim Addara recalled that

on Thursday morning, 8th June, 2023 Nasarawa state Governor Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule was invited as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily mainly because he was a CEO of one of the petroleum products companies and now a governor.

In answering questions on the recent removal of oil subsidy, Engr. Sule who has over three decades of global experience in the oil and gas industry spoke on the desirability of removal of the subsidy at this point in time as well as some systemic problems that have hindered the optimal functioning of the nation’s refineries.

The statement noted that governor Sule’s comments have since wrongly been adapted by many media platforms, saying that Nasarawa state government was baffled by the misrepresentation of some parts of the interview as it relates to former President Muhammadu Buhari.

“The comments of the Governor have been inadvertently twisted to suggest the Governor was blaming the former president for the woes of the nation’s refineries. Far from the truth”

“The question posed by the TV anchors was ‘Why is it difficult to repair the refineries in Nigeria’?

“Governor Sule’s response was that we have been approaching the repairs the wrong way. A refinery has many components and once a budget of say $2 billion dollars is approved and the funds released, instead of using the entire money to fix one, the amount is shared. That’s why over the years we spent on Turn Around Maintenance, more than what Dangote has spent in the construction of a new refinery without appreciable results. Once it gets to the management of each refinery you will see that the money can only repair a component or two while leaving the rest of the refinery in bad shape” the further added.

The statement wonders how this statement translates to faulting Mr. President, whom the governor refers to as a father and will continue to do so for the rest of his life.

” Governor Sule has not in any way  criticized any policy of former president nor did he blame President Muhammadu Buhari for the refineries not functioning maximally. He cannot be blamed for the inefficiency in the systems” the statement further stressed.

” Former President Buhari we know is incorruptible and enjoys the respect of Engr. Abdullahi Sule and many other well meaning individuals across the globe.

The Governor has nothing but utmost respect and admiration for former President Muhammadu Buhari. It is part of the reasons he was one of the first to visit Daura just last week to thank him once more for the many feats of his administration in Nasarawa state and the Country at large”

” Former President Buhari’s intention to better the lot of the country in all respects and the efforts toward that is not lost on Governor Sule who believes history will be kind to the former President” the statement added.