As Petroleum Minister, remember you can’t blame anyone else for the ‘looting and inefficiency’ in the sector, group tells Buhari

The Vanguard for Transparent Leadership and Democracy, has reacted to the assignment of portfolios to ministers.

The group kicked against the merger of the Ministry of Budget and National Planning with that of Finance by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The group made its position known in a statement on Wednesday after the inauguration of President Buhari’s new cabinet.

According to its National President, Igbini Emmanuel, who signed the statement in Abuja, the merger would place more burden on the minister in charge and might lead to loss of focus.

He, however, lauded the president’s unbundling of the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing.

He said: “While we appreciate his (Buhari’s) unbundling of Ministries of Power, Works and Housing, we are, however, disappointed that he now merged Ministry of Budget and National Planing with the Ministry of Finance.

“This will create more burden on the Minister of Finance and give room for loss of focus, abuses and corruption.

“We demand that he reverses to the existing status and appoint a substantive Minister of Budget and National Planning.”

Emmanuel also commended the President for retaining the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, calling on him to justify his decision to remain in charge of the ministry by sanitising the petroleum sector.

He urged him to, among others, see to a reduction in the pump prices of petroleum products.

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Emmanuel added: “We also hasten to remind President Buhari that Nigerians look forward to him as Minister of Petroleum Resources and an anti-corruption crusader to bring urgent sanity to the petroleum sector and cause immediate downward review of prices of petroleum products and get our nation’s refineries fully operational to their maximum design capacities.

“He is fully in charge and can no longer blame anyone if the corruption, looting and inefficiency in this sector continues.

“We also want to commend him for appointing some ministers into ministries they have professional competence, experience and proven passion for.

“One of such appointments is that of Mr Keyamo Festus SAN, who for the past two decades, has been with us in the peaceful campaigns for economic and environmental justice and infrastructural development of the Niger Delta region.”

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