Rather than trust anyone else with a key source of government revenue, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said Tuesday he will keep Nigeria’s oil portfolio for himself. However, Buhari also said he will appoint a minister of state in his new Cabinet who would oversee the daily running of the petroleum sector, according to Reuters.
“I intend to remain the minister of petroleum resources,” Buhari reportedly said Tuesday in an interview on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
Having been head of the petroleum ministry under military rule, there was earlier speculation that Buhari might indeed appoint himself to the powerful post as he works to overhaul the oil sector, which provides the Nigerian government with about 70 percent of its revenue.
Buhari, who took office May 29, has vowed to drive out corruption from the lucrative industry and has already taken steps to do so. Most recently, he announced a new managing director to run Nigeria’s state oil company, sacked its eight executive directors and dissolved the entire corporate board. Buhari has split the company into two entities and said Tuesday he might divide it further to improve efficiency and eliminate graft, Reuters reported.
Sourced from ibtimes.com
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