President Bola Tinubu has reacted to recent comments made by former Nigerian leader, Olusegun Obasanjo, on the Port-Harcourt refinery.

“Someone told me Tinubu said refineries would work by December. I told the person the refineries would not work. This is based on the information I received from Shell when I was president,” Obasanjo said in a recent interview.

But speaking through his media aide, Tope Ajayi, President Tinubu said Obasanjo was not an engineer and cannot speak on issues that require the knowledge of a professional.

“Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, with due respect to him, is not an engineer. He’s not the engineer working at the refineries. So, the engineers and the NNPC gave the president a report and they have said that it will work by December this year,” he in an interview with Daily Trust on Thursday morning.

“We still have like four months to go. I will say that with all due respect to the former president, who is an elder statesman and our father, that what he said is his personal opinion and view. I will rather rely on the judgment of the engineers who are working at the refinery. So, I think we should wait until December,” he added.

Recall that President Tinubu had said the Port Harcourt refinery would start production by December 2023 after the completion of the ongoing rehabilitation contract between the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and Italian firm, Maire Tecnimont.