President
Muhammadu Buhari yesterday disclosed he would retain his position as Minister
of Petroleum Resources, working alongside former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre
Sylva who will serve as the Minister of State.
At
a ceremony in Aso Rock where he assigned portfolios to the 43 minister-delegates
earlier cleared by the Senate, the president also announced the creation of
five new ministries: Police Affairs, Special Duties/International Affairs,
Power, Aviation, and Humanitarian/Disaster Management.
But
his retention of the powerful petroleum office and the composition of his
entire cabinet has elicited mixed reactions from members of the public and
stakeholders especially in the oil sector, with some fearing the next four
years might offer little grounds for optimism.
The
director, Centre for Petroleum, Energy Economics and Law (CPEEL), University of
Ibadan, Prof. Adeola Adenikinju, warned that power brokers could frustrate
Sylva’s operations.
“This
reduces the ability of the latter to embark on independent policies and
actions. If stakeholders start doubting the power of the minister of state, it
will undermine his authority and effectiveness in midwifing reforms.
“We
can also have a situation where a powerful Group Managing Director (GMD) of the
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) might bypass the minister of
state, bringing about a diminution of his authority to superintend the ministry
and the NNPC,” Adenikinju said.
There
were indications that a show of power between former Minister of State Ibe
Kachikwu and former NNPC Group Managing Director Maikanti Baru affected the
sector negatively. Nevertheless, Adenikinju noted that retaining the seat could
allow for institutional memory and make the sector’s issues command attention
at the highest level.
Former
President of the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE),
Abiodun Adesanya, said: “A lot of things urgently need to be done. We have not
had a licensing round since 2007. There must also be clear-cut policies. Some
of the policies have to be revisited especially the gas commercialisation
programme. The bureaucratic process it takes to see the president has to change
for the oil and gas and other priority sectors.
The
president must also appoint a director for DPR. Petroleum products also need to
be available to avoid the challenges we had in the past.”
The
chairman of Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Bank Anthony
Okoroafor, said there was the need to restore confidence in the oil and gas
sector. “With the National Assembly cooperating with the presidency, we hope
that the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) will be signed to improve the fortunes
of the industry,” he said.
A
former president, Nigerian Association for Energy Economics (NAEE), Prof. Wunmi
Iledare, noted that the inability of the president to address the petroleum
industry reform, which started about 20 years ago, remains a critical concern.
He said the president and the minister of state must let professionals head the
upstream, midstream and downstream sectors of the industry.
“The
ministry is not the regulator. He must concentrate on policy development and
analysis. The minister must not get involved in the day to day running of the
NNPC. It must be allowed to function as a purely commercial business with less
agency role,” he said.
On
his part, the Director-General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(LCCI), Muda Yusuf, said: “The delay in the signing of the PIB into law is not
helping matters. We suggest that the government intensifies efforts at
attracting private investments in refineries, coupled with ensuring that the
ongoing Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) and repair of the four refineries
intended to put them back on stream to operate at their installed capacity is
expeditiously completed.”
Some
analysts also faulted the separation of aviation from the transport
ministry, saying it contradicts the plan for multimodal transport development.
The Secretary-General
of Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI,) John Ojikutu, recalled that
the two ministries used to be independent of each other until former President
Olusegun Obasanjo merged aviation with transport just as he did information and
communication.
“When
former President Goodluck Jonathan came, he split aviation to two, even when he
was planning intermodal transportation system. For economic reason, Buhari
rationalised his cabinet and recombined the ministry. It appears now that cash
is no more our problems. But it is still irrational to separate the ministry
when the government has intermodal transportation in its development plan,”
Ojikutu said.
Intermodal
transportation is the global practice where all transportation infrastructure
is integrated with one policy and managed under one ministry.
In
its reaction, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) described the
cabinet as a poor parade of recycled foot-travellers, many of whom failed
Nigerians in governance assignments in the past.
The
party, in a statement by its national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan,
said by assembling a team of persons indicted for corruption and treasury
looting, Buhari has demonstrated he has nothing to offer to the nation but the
perpetuation of incompetence, failure and ineffectiveness.
The
PDP said it was not surprised that the president had no clear-cut blueprint to
rescue the nation from the economic, security and social quagmires, which his
administration allegedly plunged the nation into.
“Mr.
President has severally demonstrated a lack of required capacity to lead a
nation as complex as Nigeria especially at this trying times. At a ceremony
where Nigerians had expected the forceful articulation of a progressive policy
thrust, Mr. President bored the nation with an empty and directionless script
that only evoked more despondency in our nation,” the party said.
Buhari during
the swearing-in had stated: “I must emphasise the importance of communication
and harmony within our government. You must work in harmony with your fellow
ministers. Communication, vertical and horizontal, can only be ignored at a
price.
“As
I said yesterday (Tuesday), in terms of coordinating communication, kindly
ensure that all submissions for my attention or meeting requests be channelled
through the Chief of Staff, while all Federal Executive Council matters be
coordinated through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, in order
to speed up the process of decision-making.”
The
PDP, however invited Nigerians to note the president’s “contemptible approach
to governance and disregard to ministerial portfolios as portrayed in the
recent degrading of ministers to clerical aides of Chief of Staff, Mallam Abba
Kyari. Such demotion of ministers is completely unacceptable,
counter-productive and reduces governance to a domestic affair.”
The
party said it felt the pains and anguish of Nigerians, who by now would have
been enjoying the benefits of the much-desired economic recovery blueprint
articulated by its candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
“Nigerians
will recall that in Atiku’s blueprint, proactive strategic policies and plans
were laid out for rapid interventions in critical sectors of our national lives
to address the security, economic and social problems caused by the Buhari
administration and return our nation to her pride of place.”
It
urged Nigerians not to lose hope but continue with determination to retrieve
Atiku Abubakar’s allegedly stolen presidential mandate at the court.
In
other reactions, the spokesman of Yoruba socio-cultural organisation,
Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said Nigerians should not expect much
improvement in governance in the next four years.
He
accused Buhari of favouring people from his ethnic background with juicy
ministries, even as he alleged that some ministers who performed poorly were
returned to the same ministries.
Odumakin’s
view was however countered by the president of Yoruba Ronu, Mr. Akin Malaolu,
who said Buhari deserved commendation for the appointments. “Looking at how the
president put key people in strategic portfolios shows that the country will
likely move forward, depending on the sincerity, determination and commitment
of the ministers in their new endeavours.
“For
instance, the appointments of human rights activist, Mr. Festus Keyamo, as
Minister of State for Niger Delta, former Governor of Bayelsa State Mr. Timipre
Silva as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, and former Governor of Akwa
Ibom State Godswill Akpabio as Minister of Niger Delta were strategic to
addressing youth restiveness in the Niger Delta zone.”
