The Minister of state for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, on Sunday revealed that by serving as a minister in Nigeria, he is losing at least a
million dollars yearly.
Kachikwu who spoke in Abuja, said the love of his father land made him to jettison his former job which was more financially rewarding than ministerial appointment.
He enjoined Nigerians to work together so as to build an enduring institutions that would secure the future of the country and improve on the standard of the citizenry.
Kachiwu said, “The call to public service for me was unique. I was vice-president of Exxon Mobil West Africa and I was suddenly called to serve”
“In serving, I lose a lot of money, if not at least a million dollars every year by virtue of being a minister, but the thing is, I am directed by the voice of God.
“I believe that this country needs help. I believe that it is about time we began to perform for the young and upcoming. I believe that the sheer capacity of this country is unimaginable.
“I do not know of any country in the world with our population, our resources, our intellect, our flamboyance, our family nexus, everything is together.”
He noted that with the right leadership, the current economic crunch in Nigeria could become a thing of the past.
Kachikwu added that Nigerians would not feel the impact of the challenges posed by the drop in prices of oil if the current government properly harnessed other natural resources.
“Everything in this country is together; the only thing that is not together is leadership and in God’s name; we are bound to change that,”
“In every little space that you have, and in my own case petroleum, you have to make an absolute change and so I am not worried about price of oil.
“It can be five dollar for all I care. I am worried about the direction of the industry; I am worried about changing things the way they have never done before.
“I am worried about creating opportunities that exist; I am worried about improving the standards of living; I am worried about encouraging opportunities in the sector. I am worried about opening up those opportunities that have existed for years,” he said.
