The National leader of the All
Progressives Party (APC) Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has come all out on the
Minister of state for petroleum and Group Managing Director of The Nigeria National
Petroleum Corporation NNPC Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu accusing him of being insensitive
to the plight of Nigerians and a bad advertisement for the APC led government.
Ibe Kachikwu was quoted to have made a statement regarding the current fuel scarcity that is seriously biting
hard in which he said 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 fuel it is currently doing.
In a
statement released by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the APC leader said the statement is
unfortunate and uncalled for at this time of severe hardships Nigerians face
daily while queuing for fuel at filling station.
Tinubu said “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.
“Kachikwu’s intervention was
unhelpful. It panicked and disappointed the public as to the duration of the
crisis. It insulted the people by its totality. 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. Kachikwu must be reminded that he was
not coerced to take this job. He accepted the job and its responsibilities
knowingly. He also must remember that he does not own NNPC. This also is not a
private company that owes nothing to the public except the duty of fair dealing”.
“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 bosses, the people
have a right to demand the requisite performance and respect from him. He
should apologise for treating them so lightly and shabbily in this instance. He
maintained that being the Petroleum minister does not requires no magic or training
in that strange craft but requires empathy, compassion and the willpower to
forge a better Nigeria.
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