President Tinubu set to become Minister of Petroleum just like Obasanjo, Buhari, splits ministry into 2

President Bola Tinubu has assigned portfolios to his 45 ministers over one week after the Senate screened them.

The president’s office announced the portfolios in a statement signed by Willie Bassey, the director of Information, in the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

One notable portfolio missing is the Minister of Petroleum, and this has raised suggestions that President Tinubu has decided to take up the position just like his predecessor, Muhammdu Buhari.

Tinubu split Petroleum president

While Tinubu did not assign anyone to head the Ministry of petroleum, rather he decided to split it to the Ministry of Gas Resources and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources

Ekperipe Ekpo takes the position as Minister of State, Gas Resources, while Heineken Lokpobiri is appointed Minister of State, Petroleum Resources.

A Minister of State is a junior Minister in the Nigerian Cabinet and is normally the principal deputy.

With the challenges in the oil and gas sector, most notably crude oil theft, which has seriously affected Nigeria's oil production, Tinubu has his work cut out if he is to head the ministry of petroluem.

List of Nigeria's petroleum ministers since 1999

President Olusegun Obasanjo was President, Petroleum Minister(1999- 2005)

For six of his eight years in office, from 1999 to 2005, Obasanjo was President, Petroleum Minister, and Minister of State for Petroleum.

Edmund Daukoru(2005-2007)

In Obasanjo's second tenure, he appointed Edmund Dakoru as the minister of State for petroleum. Before these jobs, he had a lot of experience in the oil industry thanks to his more than three decades spent working for Shell Petroleum Development Corporation and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Diezani Allison-Maduike

He served as Nigeria's Petroleum Minister on two occasions. His first appointment was in 1986, and he retained the position until 1990. Subsequently, he resumed the position of the country's Minister of Petroleum from December 18, 2008, to March 17, 2010.

Muhammdu Buhari(2015-2023)

Just like Obasanjo, President Buhari appointed himself Petroleum Minister, promising to fight corruption. During his 8 year tenure, Buhari appointed two different state petroleum ministers.

Ibe Kachikwu (2015 - 2019)

In 2015, President Buhari selected him to serve as the state’s minister of petroleum resources a position he occupied till 2019.

Timipre Sylva(2019-2023)

Sylva took over from Kachikwu in 2019, serving as the state Minister of State for Petroleum Resources.

He resigned from the position in 2023 to contest the governorship election in Bayelsa.

President Bola Tinubu (2023)

While there has yet to be an official confirmation as at the time of writing, from all indications, President Tinubu has followed in the stead of his predecessor to become Nigeria's minister of petroleum resources. This will be third time since 1999, a sitting president wants to be in charge of the country's most valuable natural resources(Oil and Gas).