Onanuga made the rebuttal on Sunday while fielding questions on Sunday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.
Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy has denied claims that the President is the substantive petroleum minister.
Onanuga denied Tinubu's role as Petroleum Minister on Sunday while fielding questions on Sunday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.
When asked if the president hopes to hold on to his job as the ‘Minister of Petroleum,’ Onanuga fumed, saying the president had never addressed himself with such title, adding that the nation already has two ministers handling the affairs of the oil sector.
“I think I have answered this question somewhere. The President has never called himself the Minister of Petroleum. You people in the media gave him that position. We have two ministers there. One of them focuses on gas. That’s an area this government found in the past that Nigeria neglected the gas sector. Nigeria is more of a gas country than an oil country.
“Just recently, former President Obasanjo said he made a mistake during his time by not focusing on gas. President Tinubu is rectifying that by making sure that we are focusing now on gas. The president supervises all his ministers. All of them. He is in charge of everything including all the ministries under him,” Onanuga stated.
He noted that Tinubu is aware of the struggles Nigerians face, countering accusations that the president is indifferent to citizens’ hardships.
“President Tinubu feels the pain of Nigerians and assures them that relief is on the horizon. Some have resorted to calling him ‘T-pain’ out of mischief, but he is not that. He’s here to heal, not to hurt.
“The President has never shied away from acknowledging that Nigerians are going through difficult times. He is working tirelessly to provide relief and ensure that the nation moves towards a future of prosperity.
“This is a painful transition, but it’s part of a long-term strategy to stabilize and grow the economy,” Onanuga clarified.