By Daniel Idonor
ABUJA—THE Presidency, yesterday, distanced itself from speculations that the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Deziani Allison-Madueke, had been tipped for removal ahead of next year’s general election, just as President Goodluck Jonathan, effected a minor cabinet reshuffle.

Mrs. Deziani Allison-Madueke

Meanwhile, the Presidency has explained that the purchase of three additional aircraft approved by the Federal Government for the Presidential Air Fleet, PAF, was not for the use of President Goodluck Jonathan but for other top government functionaries.

On the speculation that the Petroleum minister would be removed, the Presidency said there was no plan to sack the female minister who was presently steering wide ranging legislation to overhaul the oil and gas industry through parliament.

The Presidency asked members of the Organised Private Sector, OPS, especially the international business community to carry out their lawful businesses with the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and its parastatals, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, as there was no plan to effect changes in the leadership of the ministry.

Highly placed Presidency sources told Vanguard that the rumour that the minister would soon be sacked was the handiwork of political opponents who believed that control of the Ministry of Petroleum was a political asset to a presidential aspirant in the 2011 general elections.

Rumour mongering

President Jonathan also, yesterday, criticised politicians who resorted to media speculations and rumour mongering to weaken their opponents, stressing that the mass media should remain as  agents of development rather than being used to destabilize the polity.

The three ministerial nominees screened by the Senate on Tuesday were sworn-in by President Jonathan, who immediately assigned portfolios to them. Two serving ministers were also redeployed. Those sworn in were Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi (Delta) who is now the Minister of State for Education; Mrs. Yabawa Lawan Wali, (Borno) now Minister of State, Finance and Mrs. Salamatu Suleiman (Kebbi), Minister of State II, Foreign Affairs.

The incumbent Minister of Special Duties, Navy Captain Olubolade, was moved to FCT as Minister of State, while incumbent Minister of State for Finance, Alhaji Remi Babalola, was redeployed in the Ministry of Special Duties, following the mini cabinet redeployment.

Also sworn in as INEC Commissioners were Ambassador Mohammed Ahmed Wali and Dr Christopher Emoga; while Professor Dan Adebiyi was sworn in as the Special Adviser on Policy Monitoring and Evaluation.

President Jonathan who frowned at the rumour of the removal of the Petroleum minister, said such reports were capable of deterring prospective or potential investors from investing in the nation’s oil and gas sector.

He urged the mass media to always be guided by professionalism rather than being used to fight press war, noting: “What we read in the media convey a kind of sponsored press war; this is not helpful to the nation.

If a minister is not to be removed and you continue to tell the world that the minister is to be removed, what you publish affects the ministry drastically as people who have one thing or the other to do with that ministry will become careful. They would want to wait for the day the minister will be removed which will not come.

“I assure you that if I am to redeploy a minister you will not know until the announcement will be made. So all these speculations about redeployment or removal, I plead with the media, please help Nigeria because you are not serving us if you publish spurious stories being sponsored by some interests group.”

The President added: “There are sometimes sponsored stories about senior staff of government to be removed or redeployed. Yes we serve government and redeployment is a part of our service. A minister that is to be redeployed or is being redeployed is not an indictment, but for one reason or the other, in some cases to strengthen some other departments of government.”

Addressing the new appointees, Jonathan said: “Today we have sworn in three ministers, two INEC commissioners and one special adviser to serve. You have taken your oath of office not to serve Goodluck Ebele Jonathan but to serve, Nigeria and Nigerians.

“Go and do your best to serve our dear country and motherland to make sure that we improve on any situation that we meet as we go to the office. I believe that you will do your best, some of you I have interacted with for quite some time and I know you will give us the best of service.”

FEC approves  N21b for 3 aircraft

Meanwhile, the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting presided over by President Jonathan has approved the immediate release of N21 billion as contained in the 2010 Appropriation Act for the outright purchase of two aircraft for the Presidential Fleet.

The deal was the outcome of negotiation between Nigerian officials and two separate business concerns from France and the United States for the three aircraft, with Dassault Aviation of France handling the supply of two units of new Falcon 7x aircraft, while the Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation of USA is to supply the Gulfstream G550 for use by the Presidential Air Fleet, PAF.

Briefing State House Correspondents after the Council meeting, Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili, said that negotiations at the instance of the President culminated into a Definite Purchase Agreement, DPA, which was signed in May 2010.

She said the purchase price of the two Falcon jets was put at $102 million, while the single Gulfstream jet is to cost another $53 million, totaling $154 million for three aircraft.

Akunyili said the committee set up for the negotiation of the acquisition of the aircraft was able to get a reduction of the sum of $2.9 million from the proposed price of the two Falcon jets and another reduction of $5.47 million from the offer price of the single Gulfstream jet.

The minister explained that the first of the two Falcon jets being purchased would be delivered by the end of the fourth quarter of this year, while the second Falcon and the Gulfstream jets would be delivered by the end of the second quarter of next year.

She said: “The sum of N21 billion has been provided in the 2010 Appropriation Act for the outright purchase of the two Falcon 7x aircraft and the one unit G550 to be delivered as agreed in the contract. After consideration, council approved the purchase of two Falcon 7x aircraft and one Gulfstream G550 aircraft in favour of Messrs Dassault Aviation and Messrs Gulfstream respectively at the cost of $154.529 million.”

New jets not for Jonathan

The Presidency, however, explained that the purchase of three additional aircraft was not for the use of President Goodluck Jonathan but for other top government functionaries.

Presidential Spokesman, Mr. Ima Niboro, who fielded questions from State House Correspondents, after the post Federal Executive Council, FEC, briefing by the Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili, said the Airforce One being used by the President was not to be replaced but other aircraft in PAF that were being phased out.

According to him, the proposed three new aircraft for the presidential fleet for which provision has been made in the 2010 budget estimates are not for the use of President Jonathan.