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| Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr Ibeh Kachikwu (C) addressing State House Correspondents after meeting with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday (23/3/16) 2485/23/03/2016/ICE/CH/NAN |
Minister of State for
Petroleum Resources, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, on Saturday got a tongue-lashing from
the national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola
Tinubu, over his recent comments on the lingering fuel scarcity in the country.
The
Punch report continues:
The
former Governor of Lagos State took a swipe at the minister, who is also the
Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, for
saying he was not a magician who could end the scarcity of Premium Motor
Spirit, also known as petrol.
The
APC leader stated that the minister was answerable to Nigerians and not the
other way round.
Tinubu
stated this on Saturday in a statement titled, ‘Kachikwu Needs to Know That
Respect and Good Performance Will Do What Magic Cannot.’
Referring
to the minister, Tinubu said he believed a member of the President Muhammadu
Buhari-led government “has strayed from the progressive calling required of
this administration.”
Kachikwu
had on Wednesday, while speaking with State House correspondents shortly after
he led a joint delegation of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff
Association of Nigeria and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas
Workers to meet with Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said since he was
not a magician, the fuel queues could not be eliminated with a magic wand.
He
added that despite the efforts being put in place by the Federal Government,
fuel queues might not be completely eliminated until about two months (May).
The
minister noted that with the reality on the ground, it was by sheer magic that
the country had the amount of products it currently had at the filling
stations.
However,
Tinubu, on Saturday, stated that there might be no economic matter more
difficult to unravel and more sensitive to the purse of the average person than
the current fuel scarcity.
The
APC leader said despite that, he was confident of progress because he knew the
commitment of the President to resolving the issue.
“I
make no attempt to hide it. I am an avid and partisan supporter of this
government and of the progressive policies of the party, the APC, upon which
this government is based,” the ex-governor stated.
Tinubu
added, “With that, I do reserve the right and the duty as a Nigerian to voice
my opinion when I believe a member of this government has strayed from the
progressive calling required of this administration. I do this because my
greater devotion and love are for this nation and its people. Party and
politics fall secondary.
“Much
public ire has been drawn to the statement made by the Minister of State (for
Petroleum Resources) Ibe Kachikwu that he was not trained as a magician and
that basically Nigerians should count themselves fortunate that the NNPC under
his stewardship has been able to bring in the amount of petrol it is currently
doing.
“Perhaps
the statement by Kachikwu was made in a moment of unguarded frustration or was
an awkward attempt at a joke. Whatever the motive, it was untimely and
off-putting. The remark did not sit well with the Nigerian people; they were as
right to feel insulted as the minister was wrong to have said such a thing.
“The
fuel shortage is severely biting for the average person. They are forced to
remain in lines far too long — for too much time — to pay too much money for
too little fuel. This is no joking matter. Livelihoods and people’s welfare are
at stake.
“With
so much on the line, Kachikwu’s flippancy was out-of-line. He was basically
telling Nigerians that they should be lucky that they are getting the
inadequate supply they now suffer and that they should just be quiet and endure
the shortage for several weeks more.”
Saying
Kachikwu’s intervention was unhelpful, the APC leader said it rather panicked
and disappointed the public as to the duration of the crisis.
“It
insulted the people by its tonality. He spoke with the imperious nature of a
member of the elitist government the people voted out last year and not the
progressive one they voted in,” he added.
Tinubu
also said Kachikwu must be reminded that he was not coerced to take the job,
adding that the minster accepted the job and its responsibilities “knowingly.”
The
ex-governor said the NNPC GMD must also remember that he does not own the
corporation and that the NNPC was not a private company that owes nothing to
the public except the duty of fair dealing.
Tinubu
added, “He is a public servant. The seat he sits upon is owned by Nigerians,
not by him. The company he runs is owned by Nigerians, not by him. They are his
boss. He is not theirs. Power is vested in the people. He is a mere custodian
or agent of their will.
“In
talking to us in such a manner, he committed an act of insubordination. If he
had talked so cavalierly to his boss in the private sector, he would have been
reprimanded or worse. If wise, the man should refrain from such interjections
in the future.
“As
his ultimate bosses, the people have a right to demand the requisite
performance and respect from him. He should apologize for treating them
so lightly in this instance.”
The
APC leader noted that as Kachikwu’s portfolio was a strategically important
one, the minister needed to re-establish the correct relationship with the
public.
He
said Nigerians no longer felt Kachikwu was working for their optimal benefit as
their servant. “Instead, he seems to be standing above them, telling them to
take it or leave it,” Tinubu added.
The
politician stated that for the minister’s policies and stint in office to be
successful and of help to the government, he (Kachikwu) must have the support
and belief of the people at this tough time.
Tinubu
said the NNPC boss must talk to them in a way that they believe he seeks their
best interest and understands the hardship weighing upon them.
“He
must ask them to work with him and, perhaps, to endure a bit longer but with
the knowledge that he is working to resolve this matter as fast as he can and
as permanently as possible; that he is dedicated to the position that once
these current lines are gone, never again shall they reappear, as long as he
has any influence in the matter.
“To
do this requires no magic or training in that strange craft. It requires
empathy, compassion and the willpower to forge a better Nigeria. These must be
the common trademarks of those serving in a progressive government, for these
attributes are integral parts of the spirit and ideals upon which the APC was
founded,” Tinubu added.
When
contacted, the Director, Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Petroleum Resources,
Mr. Idang Alibi, told SUNDAY PUNCH that the ministry had yet to see the
statement by Tinubu.
He
stated that the ministry would wish to react to it when it gets the statement
and promised to get across to Kachikwu and respond to our correspondent.
Alibi
said, “We will need to find out what Tinubu actually said before getting across
to the minister.”
When
asked if he would get back to our correspondent after speaking with the
minister, he replied, “Well, it depends on the response from the other side. If
I get a response, I will get back to you.”
When
probed further if he would get across to the minister on Saturday night, Alibi
replied again, “I hope so.”
Also,
calls to the mobile phone of the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs
Division of the NNPC, Mr. Garba Deen, were not answered.
A
detailed text message sent to him was also not replied.
Up
till the time (8.53pm) of filing in this report, no response was received from
the ministry and the NNPC.
The
scarcity of petrol has lingered since January, as hundreds of motorists besiege
few filling stations that dispense the product on a daily basis.
Kachikwu’s
comment had drawn heavy criticisms from various stakeholders, including the organized
labour, petroleum marketers, oil industry workers, manufacturers, experts in
the oil sector and the latest from Tinubu.
The
Trade Union Congress had specifically asked Kachikwu to resign instead of
giving Nigerians excuses on why it would be impossible to get fuel easily in
the country before June.
The
TUC, through its President, Mr. Bala Kaigama, said the positions occupied by
the minister were too demanding for him and urged Buhari to appoint a new GMD
for the NNPC.
Kaigama
stated, “If he is not a magician, he should resign now. What we are saying is
that Nigerians are getting impatient with him.
“So,
if he has no quick fix to it, he should just quit. We are getting impatient. He
is moving from one unpopular policy to another, yet we cannot see any quick
fix.’’
Similarly,
the Nigeria Labour Congress had described Kachikwu’s statement as unfortunate.
The
General Secretary of the NLC, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, said it was wrong of any
agent of government to resign himself to a position that would subject
Nigerians to months of long fuel queues.
He
said, “As far as we are concerned, one day of queues is unacceptable to
Nigerians and the hardship Nigerians have been subjected to, through the queues
over a long period now, is actually something that should be condemned.
“Apart
from the hardship to Nigerians, the cost of these protracted queues on an
economy that is already in crisis is enormous, and actually makes the issue of
the revival of the economy even more difficult.”
Also,
workers in the oil and gas sector on Wednesday said they were at a loss as to
what was really the cause of fuel scarcity in the country.
The workers, who spoke
under the aegis of PENGASSAN and NUPENG, stated that the minister should be
questioned on the development.
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