By Fred Itua, Abuja
WHEN the embattled Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu jokingly quipped that he was not a magician who could end fuel scarcity overnight, he had little or no idea that it would spark a national outcry, even from unexpected quarters. This innocent utterance with no obvious ulterior motive, did not go down well with some powerful forces who were offended.
Kachikwu made the remarks during his interaction with journalists on the sidelines stakeholders in the oil sector courtesy visit to President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa. Former governor of Lagos State and national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, led the offensive against the minister, when he insisted in a statement he personally signed that Kachikwu must apologize to Nigerians.
Tinubu had told the minister that: “The art of governance is difficult and complex, especially during trying times. The steep reduction in global oil prices from over $100 per barrel to roughly $40 presents a hard challenge. We can no longer afford past practices. Nigeria now requires creative reforms, materially changing the substance of national economic policy as well as the objectives of that policy and how the policy is presented to the people. Therein lies the essence of progressive democratic governance.
“The Buhari administration represents the last best hope we have to install such governance in Nigeria and avert the catastrophe that could have befallen us had the prior government remained in place. Had the nation continued with the spendthrift corruption and vagabond economic policies of that administration, we could have soon experienced such a collision with the harsh consequences of that government’s maligned ways that our very institutions of government may have been distorted beyond fixture and repair.
“In this effort, there may be no economic matter more difficult to unravel and more sensitive to the purse of the average person than the current fuel scarcity. Even here, I am confident of progress because I know the commitment of the president to resolving this matter. I make no attempt to hide it. I am an avid and partisan supporter of this government and of the progressive policies of the party, the APC, upon which this government is based.
“With that I do reserve 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.
“Much public ire has been drawn to the statement made by Minister of State (Ibe Kachikwu) that he 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 it’s currently doing.
“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 right to feel insulted as the minister was wrong to have said such a thing.”
While the whole world appeared to be against Kachikwu, he found solace in an unfriendly quarter.
The Nigerian Senate. Kachikwu was summoned by the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), following an oversight visit to some filling stations in Abuja by senators to ascertain the severity of the scarcity. Acting chairman of the committee,Senator Jibrin Barau who led lawmakers who are members of the committee on a tour of fuel stations in Abuja, said the Senate could no longer sit back and watch Nigerians suffer. The embattled Minister appeared before the committee on March 29, 2016.
The committee members who visited over five fuel stations before addressing newsmen, decried the unnecessary hardship occasioned by the scarcity and vowed to do everything within their powers to compel the Federal Government to end the scarcity.
Senator Jibrin Barau, during the oversight visit to filling stations before Kachikwu appeared before the committee, revealed how the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, recalled them from their break to intervene in the matter.
He had stated during the visit that the scheduled meeting with Kachikwu was to enable the committee members have firsthand information on what necessitated the scarcity. He said the committee was expected to report back to the Senate President, Saraki, before issuing a final verdict on the next line of action, which includes summoning President Buhari.
“This situation is very bad and unacceptable, hence, the need for the Minister to appear before us and unveil his plan of a way out . Even if he doesn’t have any plan yet out of the lingering problem, the Senate President and the entire members of the committee are more than ready to rub minds with him for that needed purpose,”he said.
As expected, the embattled Minister kept to his word and appeared before the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream). The meeting was well attended by senators who were recalled from their Easter break. Unexpectedly, Kachikwu apologized to Nigerians, even before he addressed the main issue of fuel scarcity.
“I do apologize for the comment that I made jokingly with my friends in the press about my not being a magician as it offended Nigerians. It was not meant to be, it was a side jocular issue.
“I did go on to explain what needed to be done, I did not know that it would create the kind of hyperbole that it did. Let me first admit that I am not a typically experienced politician, I am a technocrat. I came to work.
“Some of the phrases that I may use, while being acceptable in the arena in which I play, obviously will not be acceptable in the public-political arena. So, if any body’s sensibilities were offended by that statement, I totally apologize,” he told the Senate panel.
Kachikwu unequivocally told the Senate committee that contrary to calls for his resignation, he still had a lot to offer to Nigerians. He lashed out at his critics over his comments that he was not a magician who could end fuel scarcity overnight. He also maintained that he will not throw in the towel, by resigning as minister over his inability to end the hydra-headed fuel scarcity.
Kachikwu said he still had a lot to offer Nigerians and will therefore not succumb to calls for his resignation. “Save your fuel and do not bother to protest, because I will not resign,” he maintained.
Kachikwu said the scarcity would be over on or before April 7th, 2016, that it would be a thing of the past by the second week of April. The minister added that he shared the pains of Nigerians, stressing that he worked all day to monitor the supply with a view to ensuring that the challenge is brought to an end.
Kachikwu said he has continued to work with one sole purpose, which is that every problem must have a solution and as such, the problems in the petroleum sector would be surmounted. He also explained how he was trying to permanently make the issue of fuel scarcity a thing of the past. He said with plans to build more refineries, Nigerians will bid scarcity goodbye in the months to come.