Bayo Onanuga, President Bola Tinubu’s Special Advisor on Information and Strategy, has denied reports that the president serves as Nigeria’s substantive petroleum minister.
While answering questions on Sunday’s episode of Channels Television’s Politics Today program, Onanuga made the rebuttal.
When asked if the president hopes to hold on to his job as the ‘Minister of Petroleum,’ Onanuga fumed, saying the president had never addressed himself with such title, adding that the nation already has two ministers handling the affairs of the oil sector.
“I think I have answered this question somewhere. The President has never called himself the Minister of Petroleum. You people in the media gave him that position. We have two ministers there. One of them focuses on gas. That’s an area this government found in the past that Nigeria neglected the gas sector. Nigeria is more of a gas country than an oil country.
“Just recently, former President Obasanjo said he made a mistake during his time by not focusing on gas. President Tinubu is rectifying that by making sure that we are focusing now on gas. The president supervises all his ministers. All of them. He is in charge of everything including all the ministries under him,” Onanuga stated.
He refuted claims that Tinubu is unconcerned with the plight of Nigerians by pointing out that the president is aware of their sufferings.
“President Tinubu feels the pain of Nigerians and assures them that relief is on the horizon. Some have resorted to calling him ‘T-pain’ out of mischief, but he is not that. He’s here to heal, not to hurt.
“The President has never shied away from acknowledging that Nigerians are going through difficult times. He is working tirelessly to provide relief and ensure that the nation moves towards a future of prosperity.
“This is a painful transition, but it’s part of a long-term strategy to stabilize and grow the economy,” Onanuga clarified.
