This was disclosed in a statement on Wednesday by the group’s National President, Igbini Emmanuel, shortly after Buhari had inaugurated and assigned portfolios to the 43 ministers he appointed recently.
Emmanuel argued that the merger would place more burden on the minister in charge and might lead to loss of focus.
He, however, lauded the President’s unbundling of the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing.
He said, “While we appreciate his (Buhari’s) unbundling of Ministries of Power, Works and Housing, we are, however, disappointed that he now merged Ministry of Budget and National Planing with the Ministry of Finance.
“This will create more burden on the Minister of Finance and give room for loss of focus, abuses and corruption.
“We demand that he reverses to the existing status and appoint a substantive Minister of Budget and National Planning.”
Emmanuel lauded Buhari for retaining the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
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He, however, asked the President to justify his decision to remain in charge of the ministry by sanitising the petroleum sector.
He urged him to, among others, see to a reduction in the pump prices of petroleum products.
Emmanuel added, “We also hasten to remind President Buhari that Nigerians look forward to him as Minister of Petroleum Resources and an anti-corruption crusader to bring urgent sanity to the petroleum sector and cause immediate downward review of prices of petroleum products and get our nation’s refineries fully operational to their maximum design capacities.
“He is fully in charge and can no longer blame anyone if the corruption, looting and inefficiency in this sector continues.
“We also want to commend him for appointing some ministers into ministries they have professional competence, experience and proven passion for.
“One of such appointments is that of Mr Keyamo Festus SAN, who for the past two decades, has been with us in the peaceful campaigns for economic and environmental justice and infrastructural development of the Niger Delta region.”
Emmanuel argued that the decision of the President to retain the petroleum ministry is in line with Section 5 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
He said the ball was in the court of the National Assembly to without fear or favour, invoke its full constitutional powers of oversight to regularly invite Buhari as Minister of Petroleum Resources to give reports of situations in the sector and to answer any query raised.
He also faulted a situation where he said some states were still denied their equal constitutional rights to produce substantive ministers.
This, he argued, is a gross violation of Section 147 of the constitution, reiterating that the positions of ministers of state do not exist in the constitution.
