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Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu

Tinubu blasts Kachikwu over ‘magician’ comments; as NNPC extends crude oil swap deals to April

Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu
Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu
Founding father of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has berated comments credited to Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, who reportedly told news correspondents while reacting to the petrol scarcity that ‘he was not a magician to make the queues disappear overnight.’
“I 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,” Kachikwu was quoted as saying.
However, reacting to the comments by the Kachikwu, who also doubles as Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), weekend, in a statement titled, ‘Kachikwu Needs To Know That Respect And Good Performance Will Do What Magic Cannot’, the former Lagos State Governor described the comments as ‘unguarded,’ untimely and off-putting.’
“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.”
“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 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. 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 ultimate bosses, the people have a right to demand the requisite performance and respect from him. He should apologise for treating them so lightly in this instance.
“His portfolio being a strategically important one, he needs to re-establish the correct relationship with the public. They no longer feel he is working for their optimal benefit as their servant. Instead, he seems to be standing above them, telling them to take it or leave it. For his policies and stint in office to be successful and a help to this government, he must have the support and belief of the people at this tough time. He 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 that 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. Upon such notions was this administration voted into office by the Nigerian people in the operation of their sovereign will to seek a national leadership that would pursue their interests to the utmost and give them every fair chance to live in a better Nigeria.
“Even though times are hard, we must all realise that they would be even harder and much darker had we allowed the venal, kleptocracy of the PDP to continue to lord over the land solely for their selfish benefit and not for the common good.
“I am confident that President Buhari and this government can resolve the issues that press us. From establishing full security and safety to staking a claim to true economic prosperity and fairness, this government shall salvage our national pride and purpose.
“Let all of us, in and out, of government never forget this. If we adhere to this remembrance, we shall see that magic will not be needed to bring the progress we seek.”
Meanwhile, the NNPC has again shifted the timeline for the planned commencement of its new crude oil trading and products sourcing arrangement, the Direct-Sale-Direct-Purchase (DSDP), to April.
The DSDP is expected to replace the crude oil for product swap programme, which its terms had earlier been pronounced to be corrupt.
By extending the commencement date of the DSDP, NNPC has extended further the stop date for an interim crude for product swap arrangement it set up after overhauling the former and putting it to last for only three months – from October to December 2015.
In September 2015, NNPC announced its overhaul of the swap programme because it said it was corrupt, and then engaged three of its joint venture companies – Duke Oil, Carlson and Napoil – on interim basis to sustain nationwide supply and distribution of petroleum products.
The corporation, in an official statement that was signed by its spokesman, Garba Deen Mohammed, at the weekend said it was carrying over the interim swap to the first week of April when the DSDP will commence.
This new shift in date is the second the corporation would be making, having moved it from December 2015 to the first week in March 2016 when the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, said the DSDP would start.
“For long-term solutions, the NNPC and the government is working to put in place machineries to ensure that our refineries are fixed and working optimally, while the pipelines which have been under attack for some time now are repaired.
“The Direct Sale Direct Purchase (DSDP) arrangement for crude would commence in the first week of April and all these coupled with the fact that the President has given his support to increase the crude supply to NNPC to ensure local sufficiency of products will go a long way to solve the problems in the short and long term,” said NNPC in the statement.
While the NNPC under the old order exchanged crude for petroleum products through third party traders at a pre-determined yield pattern, the DSDP accordingly obliges it to allocate a certain volume of crude oil within the period for refining at offshore locations in exchange for petroleum products at pre-agreed yield pattern.

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