Former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, emphasized during his talk at The Bank Directors Summit in Abuja on Thursday that President Bola Tinubu should refrain from simultaneously serving as the Minister of Petroleum.
Sanusi expressed the need for accountability, stating that having a separate individual accountable for the petroleum sector would allow for transparency and criticism, which might be hindered if the President holds both roles.
The former Emir of Kano also called for the audit of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), noting that this call was what cost him his job as the CBN Governor.
“Let me advise that the idea of the president being petroleum minister. The last president was minister of petroleum for eight years.
“When I was governor of CBN, we had a petroleum minister. So when we talk about NNPC, I could attack Diezani, now nobody can talk about petroleum because in 8 years if you talk, you are attacking the president,” he said.
President Tinubu upon assumption of office, split the Ministry of Petroleum Resources with the appointment of Ekperipe Ekpo as Minister of State, Gas Resources; and Heineken Lokpobiri as Minister of State, Petroleum Resources but retained the position of substantive Minister of Petroleum Resources for himself.
This follows the style of his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari who also doubled as the Minister of Petroleum during his tenure.
But Sanusi stated during his talk that the President shouldn’t be the Minister of Petroleum as well.
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