By Ihechi Enyinnaya
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says he will be 90 years next March and that soon he will take the boarding pass.
He urged the President of Azikel Group, Dr. Azibapu Eruani, to ensure the completion of the $1 billion Azikel Refinery in Bayelsa State before he exits.
“I have told Dr. Eruani that I will be officially 90 years by next year March, which means I will take the boarding pass soon. So, he has to make sure the project is completed before I exit,” Obasanjo said humorously.
The former president made the remark on Monday during a visit to the refinery site in Obunagha community, Yenagoa Local Government Area, where he inaugurated and performed the installation of the facility’s Crude Distillation Unit (CDU).
Obasanjo, who will turn 90 on March 5, 2027, was born on March 5, 1937. His reference to taking a “boarding pass” was a humorous acknowledgment of his advancing age and the inevitability of mortality, as he challenged Eruani to bring the ambitious industrial project to completion while he was still alive to witness it.
Ageing is a natural process that brings changes in physical strength, health and the passage of time. For public figures who have spent decades in national service, it can also serve as a reminder of the importance of completing projects and securing a lasting legacy. Obasanjo’s remark reflected this sense of urgency, linking his personal milestone to the completion of a project whose foundation he said he laid eight years ago.
The former president expressed satisfaction with the progress made at the refinery and commended Eruani for his determination to realise the project. He also suggested that the facility’s capacity could be doubled after the current phase was completed.
The $1 billion Azikel Refinery, owned by Azikel Petroleum under the Azikel Group, is designed to produce 2.5 million litres of fuel and two million litres of diesel daily, alongside other petroleum products.
When fully operational, the refinery is expected to strengthen domestic refining capacity, create employment opportunities and stimulate industrial development in the Niger Delta and beyond.
Beyond the refinery project, Obasanjo used the occasion to call for an increase in the 13 per cent derivation allocation to oil-producing states, describing the existing arrangement as a starting point that could be negotiated upwards.
He commended the African Finance Corporation (AFC) and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) for supporting the project. He also praised Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri for providing a business-friendly environment and investing in infrastructure.
Diri, who spoke at the event, said the refinery underscored the longstanding demands of Niger Delta communities for a fairer share of the wealth generated from the region’s natural resources.
The governor renewed his criticism of the Land Use Act and the 13 per cent derivation formula, arguing that oil-producing states deserved a greater share of the resources extracted from their territories.
“As people of the Ijaw ethnic nationality, we have protested and fought because we feel that God gave us something in our land but we are not benefiting from it,” Diri said.
He described the Land Use Act as unfair, arguing that while surface resources belong to states, resources beneath the ground are controlled by the Federal Government.
“Thirteen per cent is not enough,” the governor added.
Diri said the refinery would help transform the position of people in the Niger Delta from spectators into active participants in the oil and gas industry.
In his remarks, Eruani thanked political leaders and financial institutions for supporting the project, describing the installation of the CDU as a significant step towards full commercial operations.
He also commended President Bola Tinubu’s administration for supporting indigenous refiners whose investments are intended to improve the availability and affordability of petroleum products in Nigeria.