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.... ....   Home  |  Cover Stories  |  National Newsreel  |  Politics  |  Business  |  Sports  |  World  | Contact Towards a better life for the people Search The Archives   Cover Stories National News South West Niger Delta South East North Politics Business Sports World Viewpoints Features   ..... NATIONAL NEWS Obasanjo must appoint petroleum minister, Mudiaga-Odje insists By Kingsley omonobi  warri Sunday, July 25, 2004 A constitutional lawyer, Mr. Akpo Mudiaga Odje, has frowned at the continued decision of President Olusegun Obasanjo to ignore calls by Nigerians that he appoint a Minister of Petroleum Resources, saying that the appointment would bring sanity to the confusion in the oil industry where the Federal Government has spent about N96billion on refineries and they still remain comatose. Speaking in Warri at the weekend, Mudiaga Odje disclosed that the Petroleum Act, Cap.350 laws of the federation 1990 as amended, gave the minister powers to take drastic steps to preserve the collapse of the oil industry as well as documenting proceeds of sale and export of crude oil. “Even if our president appoints his brother as minister of petroleum, the petroleum act ties the hands of the minister to be fair and just in his activities. Such a minister  is under statutory duty to obey the act and this will foster tremendous progress in the oil industry. He is the  only legal authority to increase the prices of petroleum products under section 6 including fuel, diesel and kerosene.” According to Odje “It is very sad that in this our incipient democracy, the Federal Government has turned out to be autocratic in the administration of the nation. People cannot hold peaceful rallies to protest harsh government policies except they get police permits based on unconstitutional public order act.” “Have you seen American, British, Indian and even South African citizens getting permission to demonstrate against government. Secondly the Labour Union strike was aborted by a questionable court action by government. Then when you go to court as in our case, the same government says you have no locus standi.” Continuing, Mudiaga Odje said "So where does this leave us? No demonstration, no NLC strike and no locus standi to sue government. It is a complete disgrace to the civilized principles of democracy".   Home  |  Cover Stories  |  National Newsreel  |  Politics  |  Business  |  Sports  |  World  | Contact © 1998- 2004. Vanguard Media Ltd.

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