Date Published: 12/27/09

Petroleum Minister Lukman: In who's interest?

I do not have blames for the Minister of Petroleum, Alhaji Rilwani Lukman, about the way he disobeyed the order of ‘Mr. President’. Reading from the media, Vice President Jonathan Goodluck had at the Federal Executive Council meeting of 23/12/09 and in view of the critical situation of petroleum products in Nigeria, ordered Ministers whose portfolio were linked to deal with the matter; he ordered them to shelve their Xmas holidays and see to it that the bad situation was rectified.

As far as Petroleum Minister Lukman is concerned, the order was not from the Nigerian President. He respects only a President that is constitutionally in charge. The ailing President Yar’Adua is his employer and has not gotten information that Vice President Jonathan was acting as President. Alhaji Rilwanu Lukman who is not a Christian looked down on Vice President Jonathan and jetted with the Ministry’s or his private aircraft for a personal Xmas holiday in Vienna Austria; this is in total disregard to a ‘presidential’ directive. 

It will be recalled that before and after the appointment of Alhaji Lukman by President Yar’Auda, for the third time as the head of Petroluem Ministry, there were public outcries; but that did not deter his being appointed and still retained. One of the outcries was the fact that Lukman had in the past not performed fantastically as to return him as the only capable hand to run the country’s Petroleum Ministry. Another was that he had his hands in so many offshore and onshore companies doing business with the Nigeria’s richest natural resources – petroleum. In other words he was loaded and would not serve the public interests but his personal interests, which obviously was conflicting.

Above all, the action of the Minister by disobeying executive order goes to show that he believes he is above board. Should such a Minister still be retained if the nation must move forward? If it were a country where transparency and the likes work, he should be shown the way out. But even if Yar’Adua returns, I doubt anything would happen to Lukman because we run corrupt governments in Nigeria.

Dr. Edet Iniodu, 40 Oak Hill Boulevard, Ontario Canada

( edetiniodu@yahoo.com )