MINISTERIAL RE-APPOINTNMENTS: DIEZANI PANICS, EMPLOYS MEDIA PROPAGANDA: RIGHT OF REPLY
Let it be known that I don’t know Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, but is concerned with the motive behind a piece written by Chinwe Ochu of THEWILL regarding the above heading. My intention is neither to endorse the candidacy of Mrs. Alison Madueke nor defend her record, but to set the record straight.
The hue and cry over Mrs. Alison-Madueke’s re-appointment as Minister under President Jonathan’s administration is mischievous, fabricated, filled with smoke and mirrors, innuendos and intellectual sleight of hand, the objective is to inject sponsored political influence into our political process.
To begin with, there is no credible evidence in the said write up that supports the allegations stated in Ochu’s piece; at best what was written was gossips and hearsay. On the issues of bribery scandal, it is laughable that you are asking the alleged bribe in chief (President Jonathan) not to appoint the alleged second degree culprit.
On the issue of Mrs. Alison Madueke’s running battle with top CEO’s of Nigerian oil companies and their foreign counterpart, I will want to educate Ochu about hydrocarbon development both in the developed and developing world. With increase in oil prices there is usually tension between host nations and oil companies for title to, ownership and management of petroleum resources. An oil minister should not be hobnobbing with oil companies but protecting the interest of his or appointing country.
The United States that has more developed petroleum regime is at constant disagreement with oil companies. It is a good sign for our nation that the former Minister performed well, if oil companies are clamoring for her non inclusion in the Jonathan’s administration.
Section 147 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, grants the President the power to appoint Ministers of the federation and not state governors or the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Ochu’s reference to the non inclusion of the former Minister’s name from Bayelsa is a non issue. In fact, President Jonathan don’t need a recommendation from his own state since he was once the governor of the state and should be in a better position to know who will serve the nation best.
I will not even bring myself to discussing the issue of the President’s private matter. Instead, I will echo the sentiment of President Barack Obama in town square Springfield, Illinois while declaring his run for the Presidency of the United States of America that, “what’s stopped us is the failure of leadership, the smallness of our politics—the ease with which we’re distracted by the petty and trivial, our chronic avoidance of tough decisions, our preference for scoring cheap political points instead of rolling up our sleeves and building a working consensus to tackle the big problems …”
Felix Ayanruoh Esq. email: [email protected]