The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) president, Ayuba Wabba, and his Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart, Bobboi Kaigama, said the appointment of Dr. Ibe Kachikwu as both Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, as well as Group General Manager of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as being responsible for the perennial fuel queues prevailing in most parts of the country.
Speaking in Abuja recently at a roundtable conference, the labour union leaders said the concentration of power and appointment of one person to these two sensitive offices is depriving the sector of adequate attention from the chief executive.
They two argued that the GMD’s supervisory role of the companies under the corporation has been left unattended to fully, as Kachikwu shuttles between the two offices.
In addition, they noted that the dual role has also consolidated the roles of the chairman of the NNPC Board and that of the management in one man, which is affecting the smooth operation of the system.
Wabba said: “There is no doubt that having one person as both the GMD of the NNPC and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources is depriving the NNPC the full attention it need to surmount the fuel queues.
“We have seen over the past three months that the queues have refused to go away, despite all the assurance of the minister.
“It is almost the end of April and the queues are not reducing in places in like Lagos and Port Harcourt, while the prices have ranged between N150 and N300 per litre.
“We believe that a GMD will have more time for the technical matters, while the minister will concentrate his energies on tackling the political and other issues that have to do with do with forex challenges.
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