MINISTERS Holding Two Portfolios Is Constitutional – Nigeria's President Says

The Presidency has clarified that holding two positions is constitutional, as contained in the code of conduct for public office holders and has also been clarified by the Supreme Court.

This came as stakeholders expressed fears of the possibility of a conflict of interests as the Group Managing Director, GMD, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, was also appointed the Minister of State for Petroleum.
Being both the minister and NNPC chief executive, Kachikwu is also a regulator as well as an operator, a development that is happening for the first time in the history of Nigeria.
Although former President Goodluck Jonathan had allegedly tried to do a similar thing with former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, but could not, a situation that saw the quick succession of many NNPC GMDs.

But coming in defence of President Muhammadu Buhari’s action in vesting the two positions in one person, a Presidency source, who spoke with Vanguard on condition of anonymity, said there is nothing illegal about the action.
He said: “It is very constitutional and contained in the code of conduct for public officers. The only circumstance under which you cannot hold two offices is if you are a civil servant and holding two civil servant posts.
“The Supreme Court in Lawal’s case has drawn a distinction between public servant and civil servant. You can hold a public servant position, which is what the NNPC GMD position is and at the same time hold a civil servant position, which is what the Minister of State is.”