The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Rilwanu Lukman, yesterday defied the order of the Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan, barring him from going on holiday.
Mr. Lukman travelled to Vienna, Austria, for the Christmas and New Year vacation, undermining the planned meetings to address the fuel crisis in the nation.
Mr. Jonathan had, on Wednesday, directed that Mr. Lukman, Odein Ajumogobia, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and Remi Babalola, the Minister of State for Finance, suspend any planned vacation during the Christmas and New Year holiday period to enable them tackle the fuel crisis in the country. Mr. Jonathan also gave the same order to the Minister of Power, Rilwan Babalola.
Speaking on the matter on Wednesday, the Minister of Information, Dora Akunyili, said, “Today, the vice president has directed some ministers not to go on any holiday because of this fuel and power problems,”
She added, “Nigerians are suffering; we know that and we are worried, we are touched,” she added.
A presidency source said despite the warning, Mr. Lukman told some of his aides in Abuja that nothing was going to hold him back from embarking on his already planned Christmas vacation, a move which is seen as testing the office of the vice president.
Keeping to his word, Mr. Lukman yesterday travelled aboard a British Airways flight through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja to Vienna.
Abandoned mandate
“It is sad that Lukman had to travel out of the country despite the orders of the vice president that he should not travel,” the source said. “He was supposed to be in charge of the petroleum crisis, but the man chose to defile the directives of Mr. Jonathan and abandon his official responsibilities and travelled. As I am talking to you now, the minister is already in Vienna. He travelled yesterday on a British Airways flight.
“The minister’s action is a clear demonstration of the way they look down on the Nigerian people. How then can one justify why a serving minister who is supposed to be responsible to the Nigerian people decided to abandon his mandate and go for personal pleasure? It is indeed very sad.”
Investigations also showed that Mr. Lukman may not return to Nigeria till the first week in January 2010; thus effectively sidelining his participation in the meetings with Mr. Jonathan next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, aimed at finding lasting solutions to the fuel crisis in the country.