Omotolani Oresanwo
There is an indication that President Muhammadu Buhari may have rescind his decision of remaining the Minister of Petroleum.
The Ministry of Petroleum may not have a full blown minister but Minister of State for Petroleum Resources in the person of Emmanuel Kachikwu, current Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.
Bloomberg quoted Femi Adesina, the President spokesman as saying “he cannot be President and oil minister at the same time. He will supervise the ministry, so there will be no petroleum minister. Maybe he will appoint a Minister of State.”
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Though Adesina gave the impression that the reversal was to separate the office of the President from that of petroleum ministry, it was speculated that the move may be due to some Senators’ threat to ensure the screening of the President in line with their rules, if he nominates himself for the position.
Earlier, President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed his determination to head the Ministry of Petroleum Resources in the new cabinet.
“I will remain Minister of Petroleum. I will appoint a minister of State for Petroleum”, the President said while addressing reporters in New York at the UN General Assembly last month.
Then, his explanation was that he made the decision as part of efforts to sanitise Nigeria’s oil industry which he said to be plagued by corruption, massive fraud, and crude oil theft.
Buhari is not the first president to become Minister of Petroleum. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo during his tenure from 1999 to 2007 was Minister of Petroleum.
