Minister, Perm Sec disobey Tinubu’s directives

The Minister of State for Petroleum Sources, Heineken Lokpobiri, has but to implement President Bola Tinubu’s directive that Nicholas Agbo-Ella be allowed to symbolize Nigeria as OPEC Governor, in what seems a disobedience of President Bola Tinubu’s order.

In a directive issued on 6 Could, Mr Tinubu requested Mr Lokpobiri, whom he appointed in August 2023, to submit the identify of Mr Agbo-Ella, the present Everlasting Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum Sources because the consultant of Nigeria in OPEC.

Mr Agbo-Ella changed Gabriel Aduda because the Everlasting Secretary for the Petroleum Ministry after the latter was redeployed to the Ministry of Girls Affairs and Social Improvement in February.

High officers within the ministry have instructed this newspaper that Mr Aduda, a brother to former FCT Senator Philip Aduda, has continued to attend capabilities as OPEC governor, a transfer sources mentioned was backed by Mr Lokpobiri.

President Tinubu emphasised in his memo to the Secretary to the Authorities of the Federation (SGF) and copied to Mr Lokpobiri that Mr Lokpobiri ought to “take speedy steps to inform OPEC of the change of Everlasting Secretary and change Ambassador Gabriel T. Aduda’s identify with Ambassador Nicholas Agbo-Ella because the Governor nominated by the Federal Republic of Nigeria, being the present Everlasting Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum.”

PREMIUM TIMES completely obtained the memo wherein the president mentioned the minister ought to make sure the “alternative is confirmed by the convention scheduled for 1 June 2024.”

Nevertheless, in obvious disregard of the presidential directive, Mr Lokpobiri didn’t submit Mr Agbo-Ella’s identify to the OPEC Board of Governors, an insider on the petroleum ministry mentioned.

PREMIUM TIMES couldn’t instantly affirm the rationale for Mr Lokpobiri’s motion. It is usually unclear why Mr Aduda, whose operate is now with the Ministry of Girls Affairs, continued to function OPEC governor.

PREMIUM TIMES’ calls and textual content messages to the minister searching for feedback concerning the failure to submit Mr Agbo-Ella’s identify to the OPEC had been neither acknowledged nor returned.

This newspaper additionally contacted the SGF’s workplace to know what efforts he has made to make sure that the president’s directive is complied with. Segun Imohiosen, the spokesperson of the SGF’s Workplace, first requested for a while to make clear the minister’s stance. He subsequently refused to return calls and textual content messages despatched to him.

Checks by this medium present that Mr Aduda remains to be listed because the Governor of Nigeria on the OPEC web site. He additionally nonetheless addresses himself because the OPEC governor of Nigeria on his X account.

Nigeria joined OPEC in 1971 to boost the nation’s crude oil manufacturing.

The Petroleum Act solely recognises a high-ranking official from the petroleum ministry to symbolize Nigeria’s curiosity at OPEC. “Therefore, the approval to permit the present Everlasting Secretary of the Ministry to function the consultant of Nigeria on the OPEC assembly,” the president’s letter to the SGF learn.

Within the letter, Mr Tinubu granted approval for Mr Agbo-Ella to attend the one hundred and sixty fifth Assembly of the OPEC Board of Governors (BOG) in Could.

However, it was Mr Aduda who attended the BOG assembly.

“Critically inspecting the Organisation’s strategic, monetary and administrative affairs. On the ongoing one hundred and sixty fifth Assembly of OPEC’s Board of Governors,” Mr Aduda wrote on X, attaching his photos from the occasion.

Mr Aduda ignored PREMIUM TIMES’ repeated requests for feedback on why he’s nonetheless serving as OPEC governor regardless of being redeployed to a brand new ministry.

Different OPEC conferences that had been imagined to be attended by Mr Lokpobiri and Mr Agbo-Ella in the course of the journey to the OPEC Secretariat in Vienna, Austria, had been the 188th Assembly of the Convention, the 54th Assembly of the JMMC and the thirty seventh Assembly of the ONOM.

“I’ve by no means seen this degree of disrespect for the workplace of Nigeria’s President by a minister who serves on the pleasure of Mr President,” a presidential aide who mentioned he was not authorised to talk on the matter instructed this newspaper. “How can a junior minister refuse and neglect directives from his principal who doubles as President and Minister of Petroleum Sources.”

Insiders on the ministry additionally mentioned regardless of his redeployment from the Ministry of Petroleum Sources, Mr Aduda wwas lately seen in {a photograph} receiving the OPEC Secretary Common, Haitham Al Ghais, in Nigeria.

Equally, Mr Lokpobiri and Mr Aduda had been seen in {a photograph} dated 2 June 2024, the place the pair attended an OPEC assembly nearly.

One supply mentioned Mr Aduda, an indigene of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, is presently lobbying to succeed the outgoing Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Folasade Yemi-Esan. PREMIUM TIMES may, nevertheless, not independently confirm that declare.

This isn’t the primary controversy Mr Aduda shall be embroiled in.

This newspaper, in an unique report in Could 2014, detailed how Mr Aduda was smuggled into the federal civil service regardless of failing promotional and affirmation examinations on the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee.

He was mentioned to have relied on the clout of his brother, Philip Aduda, who was a Peoples Democratic Social gathering (PDP) senator for the FCT on the time, to get into the service in breach of extant legal guidelines.

After Mr Aduda flunked the examination, he resigned after a re-mark of his papers confirmed that he certainly carried out abysmally.

Nevertheless, six months after his resignation, Mr Aduda was named the Director in command of the Financial Analysis and Coverage Administration Division of the Federal Ministry of Finance. From then, he served within the Ministry of Overseas Affairs, Petroleum Sources and now with the Ministry of Girls Affairs.