Analysts—Baba Yusuf and Femi Odeere—are urging President Bola Tinubu to relinquish his position as Minister of Petroleum and appoint a qualified Nigerian to the role.
The duo argued that since Tinubu formed his cabinet in August 2023, his leadership of the petroleum ministry has not improved the nation’s daily oil production.
They pointed out that leading oil-producing nations like the United States, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates do not have their presidents serving as petroleum ministers.
Speaking on the socio-political programme, ‘Inside Sources with Laolu Akande’ on Channels Television, Yusuf, a former Managing Director of NAHCO Free Trade Zone, said that the president should focus on broader governance rather than the petroleum sector.
“I believe that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should not distract himself with the petroleum portfolio,” he said. “The four biggest oil-producing countries in the world, their presidents don’t have business being ministers of petroleum. In terms of sophistication, the United Kingdom. The United States of America doesn’t have its president overseeing such a portfolio.
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“In terms of population size, China, Russia, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, you don’t see the president holding the portfolio of petroleum or any other portfolio.”
Yusuf advised Tinubu to “step back from the complexities of oil and gas management” and allow a dedicated individual to take charge of the ministry while holding them accountable.
Odeere, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), echoed Yusuf’s sentiments, criticising the tradition of Nigerian presidents appointing themselves as petroleum ministers.
He argued that this practice highlights a fundamental issue within the governance system.
“Why do we have ministers for other portfolios but insist that oil can only be managed by the president? This reflects a lack of understanding of how to effectively operate our system,” he remarked.
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Tinubu appointed 48 ministers in August 2023, shortly after taking office. He named Heineken Lokpobiri as Minister of State for Oil and Ekperipe Ekpo as Minister of State for Gas but retained the senior petroleum minister role, continuing a precedent set by his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari.
With Nigeria grappling with economic challenges, rising inflation, and security concerns, Tinubu has faced mounting criticism regarding his ministers’ performance over the past 15 months.
In response to growing calls for a cabinet shake-up, he recently announced the disengagement of five ministers, the reassignment of 10 others, and the appointment of seven new officials.
