Austin Aigbe, Regional Advocacy Lead for the West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network, has emphasized the critical need for a substantive petroleum minister to revive Nigeria’s struggling petroleum sector. Speaking on ARISE NEWS following President Bola Tinubu’s recent cabinet reshuffle, Aigbe stated that the sector requires dedicated leadership to address its ongoing challenges.
“The petroleum sector is not doing well, and we need to revamp it,” Aigbe stressed, adding that a substantive minister, not the president, should oversee the sector to ensure it benefits the majority of Nigerians. He also highlighted the importance of fostering investment in compressed natural gas (CNG) and suggested the introduction of initiatives like grants or repayment systems to make this resource accessible to Nigerians.
In addition to petroleum sector reforms, Aigbe called for improved security to attract foreign investment, stating, “We continue to fight security. Security is an arm that we need to focus on.”
Reflecting on the reshuffle, Aigbe expressed disappointment with the pace of change and called for merit-based appointments rather than political patronage, which, he argued, allows underperforming individuals to remain in power due to influential connections.
President Tinubu’s cabinet reshuffle, which reassigned 10 ministers and discharged five others, comes amid growing concerns over Nigeria’s economic and security challenges. Notable changes include rebranding the Ministry of Niger Delta Development to the Ministry of Regional Development and merging the Ministries of Tourism and Arts and Culture into a new entity, the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy.