At exactly 2.34 p.m., Chief Timpre Silva, a former Bayelsa State Governor accompanied by his wife came straight from the Ministers’ inauguration to resume as the new Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan who has been a part of the inauguration of the Ministers earlier in the Presidential Villa came in with the new Honourable Minister of State who was taken straight to his new Office on the 11th Floor of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Towers.
The Honourable Minister of State took a moment rest before breezing into the Minister’s Board Room where the Directors of the Ministry led by the Director, Human Resources Management, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdu Mairiga and the Chief Executives of the Agencies of the Ministry were all eagerly waiting to receive their new Honourable Minister of State.
The Permanent Secretary, Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan gave a welcome address where she reassured the new Honourable Minister of State and by extension the wife that the Ministry is a warm environment for the crucial work the Minister will soon be doing. She further assured that there is a good and competent team of Directors in the Ministry and Chief Executives of Agencies which will ensure that the Chief Timpre Silva makes a success of the work he is coming to the Ministry to do.
In response, Chief Timpre Silva taking a cue from the Permanent Secretary who had earlier stated that the occasion was not a formal briefing event but simply to welcome the new Minister and to help him put a name to the faces before him, said that he would want to receive briefs from the Ministry and Agency Heads, and also study the mandate brief which the President promised will also be given to him to work with before knowing which way forward for the Ministry.
In attendance at the welcoming event were, Heads of Agencies of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources such as the Group Managing Director of NNPC , Mallam Mele Kolo Kyari, the Acting Head of Department of Petroleum Resources, Ahmad Shakur, the Chief Executive Officer of Petroleum Technology Development Fund, Dr Bello Aliyu Gusau, the Executive Secretary of Petroleum Equalization Fund’s Management Board, Alhaji Ahmed Bobboi, the Acting Director-General of Nigeria Nuclear Regulatory Authority, Dr Yau Usman Idris, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development Management Board, Engr Simbi Kesiye Wabote whom the new Honourable Minister of State noticeably related with so very easily, and the Executive Secretary of Petroleum Product Price Regulatory Agency, Abdulkadir Saidu.
Signed:
Olujimi Oyetomi
Head of Press
21st August, 2019.
