Efforts by President Bola Tinubu to maximimise the benefits of the oil industry for Nigeria’s economic growth will remain a mirage until competent managers are appointed to drive the president’s vision.
This was the submission of a renowned petroleum engineer, Dr. Ahmed Tijani, yesterday in Abuja at a public seminar hosted by Policy Advocacy Initiative (PAI), a non-governmental organisation, to mark Nigeria’s 64th independence anniversary.
His call came on the heels of speculations of an imminent cabinet reshuffle by the President to inject fresh impetus into the nation’s governance machinery.
“From day one, I have no doubt that President Tinubu has a clear vision to transform our petroleum industry given his own rich experience in the sector before a career switch to politics. But the trouble is that, as we have seen in the last 14 months, he recruited the wrong personnel to help him achieve his vision,” Dr. Tijani said.
The expert spoke on a wide range of challenges militating against the nation’s petroleum industry in a presentation entitled “Nigeria’s unending oil misery: What needs to be done”.
The event with the theme “Maximising Oil for National Prosperity”, drew experts from the finance sector, oil and gas industry, and academia.
To ensure national interest is not short-changed, Tijani suggested that only thorough-bred professionals are saddled with the management of the oil industry rather than politicians with little or no clue.
