President Umaru Yar�Adua on Wednesday dismissed insinuations that former President Olusegun Obasanjo was controlling his administration.
Yar�Adua, who also named Mrs. Ebele Okeke as the new Head of the Civil Serviceof the Federation, said that Nigerians should not doubt that he was fully in charge.
He spoke through his Special Adviser on Communications, Mr. Segun Adeniyi, during an interactive session with journalists at the State House, Abuja.
Adeniyi said,�The person in charge now is President Umaru Yar�Adua and he is the one that Nigerians are going to hold accountable for their fortunes and misfortunes at the end of the day. So, I see no reason why he will surrender power to anybody.�
The presidential aide was responding to a question on the lingering perception by some Nigerians and media reports that Obasanjo was calling the shots outside Aso Rock.
He said that Yar�Adua had been having a laugh over such perception, especially in the media.
Adeniyi said, �He (Yar�Adua) laughs about it (perception) because it is not true. I am sure you know about power. How do you imagine that the President of Nigeria will be controlled by anybody elsewhere?
�Obasanjo was at a time a President. I don�t know if anybody controlled him. So, I wonder why Yar�Adua will sit down here, knowing that he is not only responsible to Nigerians, and then allow someone else to dictate to him. He knows that he will be held accountable at the end of his stewardship.
�Nobody is going to query Obasanjo for whatever happened between May 29, 2007 and May 28 or 29, 2011. For whatever happens in Nigeria, ,Yar�Adua will be held responsible.
�So, I wonder why he will allow Obasanjo to take over. He reads all these things (newspaper reports) like we all read them here. He just smiles about them. They mean nothing.�
The SA also explained the seeming delay in the implementation of the emergency intervention in the power sector.
He pointed out that the President was currently holding consultations with all the stakeholders in order to come up with a holistic intervention programme.
Adeniyi said, �He has met several times with the top officials of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria and the Bureau of Public Enterprises.
�He has met several times with the officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. When you look at most of these issues, you will find out that they are issues you need to sort out with one agency or the other.
�All the stakeholders within the sector are being brought into the picture so that he can have a holistic picture of the problems in the power sector. There will be no excuse for failure after all, these issues have been sorted out.
�I think that is what is going on now. Very soon, within the next two or three weeks, I think he will come up with his plans for the power sector. Same goes for the Niger Delta.�
Meanwhile, the President on Wednesday appointed Mrs.Okeke as the new Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
Okeke replaces Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, now a ministerial nominee.
A statement by Adeniyi explained that Okeke�s appointment was with immediate effect.
The statement further announced the retention of Senator Florence Ita-Giwa as Yar�Adua�s Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters.
Ita-Giwa�s appointment took effect from June 3, 2007.
Dr. Tanimu Kurfi was also named as the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President.
Kurfi will assume duties upon his disengagement from the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria.