[The Presidential Blog] We are keeping this receipt for Minister Kachikwu till 2019

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu just went and promised, with no bidding from anyone, that he’ll “walk away” from the government if Nigeria has not stopped importing petroleum by 2019.

Speaking earlier today during an interview with the BBC World Service Programme, Hardtalk, Daily Trust reports that Dr Kachikwu “vowed he would deliver on the refineries and that he was committed to also deliver a future for oil that makes sense for Nigeria.”

Here is an excerpt from the interview:

Kachikwu: I have stated it, 2019 is the target.

BBC: You are running out of time because you know that we are near now.

Kachikwu: Don’t worry; I put the date, I will work it.

BBC: And if you don’t achieve it, you will walk (away)?

Kachikwu: Yes! Of course, that is the reason why you are in government.

This is not the first time the Minister has made this promise. In February, he explained to a group of legislators at a public hearing for the review of petroleum pricing template that the administration had a target of December 2018 to get the NNPC to partner with foreign investors in a bid to get local refineries working.

“By 2019, we should be able to exist completely without the importation of petroleum products in this country.” he said at the time.

It seems the Minister is not the only one resolute on the 2019 deadline: Maikanti Baru, the Group Managing Director of the NNPC in May, made the same promise.

The last time a Minister promised to resign if a deadline was not met, it was Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika and if that instance—when they fixed the Abuja Airport Runway in six weeks—is anything to go by, then maybe Dr Kachikwu’s promise means something.

“I have delivered on everything since I came to office. First, I took NNPC and moved them into a profit making organisation first time in history and reshaped the organisation. I removed cash call deficit of over $6bn, negotiated it. Everything that I have promised since coming into office, I have delivered. I will deliver on the refineries and I am committed to that and I will also deliver a future for oil that makes sense for Nigeria,” Kachikwu said, according to the Daily Trust,

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