Why Kachikwu should resign

BY CHIZITELU CHUKWUNONYELUM

One of the demands of high public office is that the holder of that office must exhibit the highest sense of responsibility both to his employer and to the public at whose expense he is maintained in that office.

Having a sense of responsibility naturally suggest that the office holder must be high-minded enough to eschew pettiness and work in concert with other public official within his immediate vicinity and beyond, to advance the cause of government.

Given developments in the Nigerian public space in the last few weeks, it is clear that Nigeria’s minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, has failed this simple test of decent conduct and display of a sense of responsibility and maturity. His conduct, if anything, has betrayed not only the exalted position he occupies in the Nigerian public system but also his training as a professional in the oil sector. His aluta (student union like) approach to resolving the key issues raised falls short of the envisaged and accepted temperament of a certified grand-father clearly in his early 60s.

Dr. Kachikwu’s action in writing a memo to his boss and substantive Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, President Muhammadu Buhari where he castigated Dr. Maikanti Baru, Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), demonstrates in vivid picture a clear intent to malign the integrity of Baru in what the law would refer to asMens Rea. This is evident in the fact that before the memo had reached its intended recipient, President Buhari, Kachikwu had leaked it to the media. This was despicable to say the least. The implication is clear to the discerning mind and this is that Dr. Kachikwu, knowing full well that a lot of the allegations or charges against Baru( who it must be said has exhibited the highest sense of judgment in his running of the NNPC) were patently false, went ahead to release same to the public. That was clearly malicious.

The other front, on which Dr. Kachikwu’s memo rankles, lies in the fact that through his conduct he has proved to be a centrifugal element in the wheel of progress for the entire oil sector. There is no doubt whatsoever that in the last two years of the Buhari administration, the oil sector has witnessed a measure of stability and progress as the government and the leadership of the NNPC have constructively engaged the various stakeholders, who in the past at odds with government and the NNPC created instability within the sector through creation of artificial scarcity, incessant strikes and other negative actions.

This engagement has ushered in an era of collaboration that has impacted positives on the fortunes of the sector. By seeking to create a problem where none exists, Dr. Kachikwu has threatened the existing order and harmony. Already, tanker drivers and oil marketers are threatening showdown with government if he is not fired. If his caper is allowed to stand, there is no doubt that there would be negative outcomes as a house divided against itself, clearly cannot stand. Thus it would be profitable for Kachikwu at this point to bow out before it is too late.

Aside the obvious disruption Kachikwu’s conduct is likely to expose the oil sector to, the effect his memo will have within the NNPC itself is something that needs to be seriously consider. The spectacle of the chairman of the board, a man in whom so much trust has been reposed and who is expected to guide the corporation to a higher level of performance, turning around to expose it to public ridicule and then make mockery of the government’s much talked about change from the old way of doing things, is surely a matter for regret.

More than the danger Dr. Kachikwu’s memo poses to the stability of the oil sector; the greater danger is to the unity and stability of this country. In the memo, he tried to whip up tribal and ethnic sentiments by suggesting that Baru had deliberately fostered ethnic divisions within the NNPC by promoting only officials from the northern part of the country in the latest exercise.

Coming at a time Nigeria is facing a serious challenge to its unity and corporate existence, this insinuation by Dr. Kachikwu is more than likely to exacerbate an already tense situation. This gaffe by him is not only irresponsible but downright condemnable.

Dr. Kachikwu is a bad influence; he is one bad apple that if let to stay, will spoil the whole bunch. If President Buhari and his government truly know what is good for them, they should encourage and if possible cajole him to resign without delay. If he is allowed to continue in office, he will do more than dampen morale of focused, committed and hardworking staff of the NNPC; he will ultimately destabilize the Buhari administration itself.

The Buhari administration committed to changing the way the business of government is conducted, cannot afford to have within its ranks, a quisling who like, General Francisco Franco’s Fifth Column in the Spanish Civil War, will work from within to aid the collapse of the government.

If Kachikwu loves the country and this government, he should spare President Buhari from the laborious tasks of doing the needful which would generate the usual emotional blackmail that must surely come from people who would want to see Kachikwu’s sack as a move against the people of the Niger Delta. It is indeed incumbent on him to throw in the towel and allow the President pick his replacement from the pool of brilliant and dedicated sons and daughters of Niger Delta with vast knowledge of the operations of the oil industry.

Having lost the confidence of the leadership of the oil industry trade unions and stakeholders alike coupled with the open vote of no confidence passed on him by the Presidency his employers, the hand writing on the wall is crystal clear. And the message for Kachikwu is simple. It is time to resign.