Teddy Oscar, Abuja
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As the call for the immediate resignation of the minister of finance, Dr. (Mrs.) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, continues to generate reactions, members of the House of Representatives have turned the tide, saying the resignation should be directed at the, minister of petroleum resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, instead.
The searchlight, the lawmakers reckoned, should be beamed towards the petroleum sector and its agencies, especially the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
According to the chairman of the House Committee on Finance, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, who wondered why questions are not being asked about the quantity of crude oil that is being produced from the country, the amount of money that is being talked about here comes from the oil sector and crude sales.
“I think it is hasty for the Governors’ Forum, most of whom we’ve been working together with before now, to call for the resignation of the minister (Okonjo-Iweala). I believe that that is inappropriate, looking at the background of the issues that are involved.
“We are missing the point because where we should put our searchlight and lay more emphasis on is the petroleum sector, is the NNPC. (It is) the minister of petroleum (Alison-Madueke) that should be called to give account of what is happening. It is not the minister of finance.
“Substantially, the amount of money that we are talking about comes from the oil sector, from crude sales, and until today, we keep talking: how much are we even producing per day? Nobody knows the quantity of crude oil that is being produced in this country. Nobody knows, and nobody is asking the minister of petroleum any question,” Jibrin said.
Jibrin further alleged that “The accountability, the transparency rate in NNPC is very, very low. The system is still shrouded in absolute secrecy. Nobody understands how they operate, and these are the issues the Nigerians should be raising questions over.”
Wondering why Nigerians are quiet about what is going on in the oil and gas sector, Jibrin said: “I think that attention should move from Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to Diezani, the minister of petroleum resources. I think all Nigerians should stand up and ask her questions.”
Alleging that there are cases of massive oil theft and corruption in the oil and gas sector, he advised to the chairman of the forum (Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi) and his colleagues to take a second look at the matter, articulate their position, and present it to the minister of petroleum resources.
“If anybody should be asked to resign, it’s not the minister of finance. As far as this matter is concerned, it is the minister of petroleum resources,” he insisted.
