President Muhammadu Buhari’s kinsman, Alhaji Muhammad Ibrahim Daura, has called on him to resign from the office of Petroleum Minister and concentrate on his duty as the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
Daura who is also a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Katsina State, while briefing newsmen in Kaduna, Tuesday, said the office of the President was very demanding and required full concentration of the President to chart forward the affairs of the nation.
He explained that the petroleum ministry was a very sensitive one, adding that it was the mainstay of the nation’s economy that needed to be handled by professionals who were not distracted by any other demanding duty.
Alhaji Daura added that President Buhari, since assumption of office, had not toured all the refineries in the country to see how they were in order to map out a new policy that will rejuvenate the refineries.
“It is also saddening that the minister of state for petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, is a lawyer by training and might not have the rudiment to manage the affairs of the ministry.
“We all know that eighty percent of our revenue comes from the petroleum sector and if we don’t take proper care of the ministry, the country might be thrown into chaos.
“The recent fuel scarcity in the country might not be unconnected with the policy on the ground where the president runs the ministry from the Aso Villa.
“Yes, some will say that President Buhari decided to hold onto the ministry to checkmate some malpractices, but I can tell you that we have experts who can do same, remember Prof. Tam David West, Obaseki and Abubakar Yar’adua, they are all experts in Petrochemical Engineering who have proved that they have what it takes to move the oil industry forward.
“We also have thousands of graduates with Ph.D. and are roaming the streets. Some of which are Petrochemical Engineers who the president can engage.
“I am a core supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari, and I want him to succeed that is why I’m coming out with this advice to help him move the country forward,” he explained.
Speaking on the call that President Buhari should contest in 2019, Alhaji Daura said there was nothing bad in the call because according to him, “he has started some good work and needs to be given some time to complete them, so if another four years is what it will take, then let it be.”
