You Can’t Fight Oil Thieves With Niger Delta Indigenes As Petroleum, Gas Ministers, IPAC Tells Tinubu

The umbrella body of Nigerian political parties, the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has carpeted President Bola Tinubu for appointing Niger Delta Indigenes as ministers of State for Petroleum and Gas Resources.

IPAC argued that the positions are not reserved for the people from the region and should therefore not be reserved for indigenes from there.

Recall Tinubu on Tuesday named Heineken Lokpobiri, from Bayelsa State in the Niger Delta, as Minister of State, Petroleum Resources.

Ekperipe Ekpo, from Akwa Ibom State, also a state in the Niger Delta, was appointed Minister of State, Gas Resources.

Timipreye Sylva, from Bayelsa State, was Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Speaking on Channels Television on Thursday, IPAC National Chairman Yabagi Sani said it was wrong to cede the portfolio of Minister of State for Petroleum Resources to the Niger Delta.

Condemning the repeated appointment of Niger Delta indigenes to the position, he said the development would breed a sense of entitlement amongst the people of the area.

“Unfortunately, this sector (Niger Delta) has been made to look as if people that should be appointed to that ministry should come from the Niger Delta.

“It is a wrong signal because, when you now give people a sense of entitlement, their efficiency becomes something that is not given due attention to.”

The IPAC chairman wondered why the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) portfolio was not ceded to the indigenes of the North-Central.

“I think we must change that scenario, but if he (Tinubu) must do that – not because I am from the North-Central – why don’t you give Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to an indigene of North-Central?

“If you must be sensational about such a very important ministry.”

He suggested that appointing indigenous people of the Niger Delta to the position of Minister of State for Petroleum Resources undermines the Federal Government’s efforts to fight oil theft.

“What do we do about fighting crude oil theft? Crude oil theft endemically is perpetrated – from what we heard so far it is from the people from that area,” he said, adding that “the petroleum sector should be looked into from a professional point of view and a national interest point of view”.

The IPAC chairman, in the same vein, faulted the situation whereby the President assumes the position of Minister of Petroleum Resources.

In recent times, Nigerian Presidents usually take up the position of Minister of Petroleum Resources.

Former President Buhari held the position and there are indications that Tinubu would toe the same line as he did not name any substantive Minister of Petroleum Resources in the list of ministerial portfolios released on Wednesday.

Sani said, “I believe that that ministry (Petroleum Resources) is too important for the President to take as another responsibility for himself if that is the intention. The reason is that we have seen the kind of drawbacks we have had in the economy itself as a result of the lack of proper management of that industry (oil and gas sector).

“The President that is already more than occupied now is taking the ministry that he is going to supervise it himself. I am sure we may not see the result of what we want.

“What we want in that industry is for corruption to be chased out as quickly as we can.”